The Cast of ‘The Possession’ Talks Mysterious Boxes and Broken Families
When truth and fiction collide it can be an intimidating medium. On one hand it's easy to feel frightened by the knowledge that has already been uncovered. But the other can open a door to a deeper exploration and allow for an opportunity to go beyond expectations. The Possession is the result of screenwriting husband and wife team Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, taking a true premise (this LA Times article) and altering its details for an even more intense and horrifying result.
"There was this story of this unusual dibbuk box. It had all these great real life elements and weird phenomenon that happened to the various people that had owned it," says White. However, when it came down to laying the groundwork for the movie, one question remained. "OK, this is really an interesting object, but who are the people we should hand this to that begins this phenomenon for them?"
Set in contemporary times, The Possession relates the story of the Brenek family. Recently divorced, Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) stay civil as they shuffle their two daughters between homes. As their youngest daughter Emily (Natasha Calis) immediately becomes obsessed with a mysterious wooden box she found at a yard sale, neither parent sees any harm. That is until a domino affect of unusual occurrences, horrific moth infestations and Em's sudden dangerous behavior takes over the family. When Clyde begins to investigate the box's increasing importance in Emily's life, his worst fear is confirmed - she has in fact unlocked a Jewish dibbuk box and is trapped by the evil spirit inside. With the help of a young Hasidic son of a rabbi, Tzadok (Matisyahu), the Brenek family will stop at nothing to free Emily of her possession.
Although led by legendary Danish director Ole Bornedal and industry vets Morgan and Sedgwick, the bulk of the film's success was to be determined through the casting of Emily. "It’s very much to do about finding natural people. I needed to see real characters, with naked performances," admits Bornedal. Luckily it all fell into place quickly and with one unforgettable audition. "Natasha was actually the first girl I cast and I knew in my heart that she was the right one."
During her audition, Calis began weeping and insisted that there was an old Polish lady sitting inside of her. Completely improvised, Bornedal was so impressed and moved by her performance, he insisted a change be made. "I talked to the writers on set and said, I really think this needs to be an old woman who’s Polish," he laughs. "She actually created that (story) for the film, and we found this voice that colors the whole movie." Without skipping a beat, Morgan adds, "This audition he’s talking about, that’s what made me do the movie."
Another important piece of the story was defined in the hands of a familiar face, but untested in the world of acting. Roots, reggae artist Matisyahu won the role of Tzadok - the street-smart Hasidic kid unfazed by the danger of the dibbuk - thanks in large part to his pure charisma and genuine religious beliefs. With an immediate on-screen impact, his presence helped pace the climactic exorcism scene between the family and Emily. As Tzadok intensely screamed the prayers of the Torah, Matisyahu wasn't just saying his lines, he understood its meaning. "There was a real war happening and it says in the Torah that the weapon of the Jews is their mouths. The idea was to cut through the forces of evil. Through the words, through the prayers."
Balancing the film's horrifying events is a real sense of family that Morgan, Sedgwick and Calis created. As their world spirals out of the control, the audience can easily sympathize with their confusion, care and ultimate terror. "I have empathy for the (Breneks), they were trying to do it right. I think that’s what sets this movie apart," says Sedgwick. "The horror is great, but it’s a real story about people who are struggling to stay together as a family in the midst of breaking up as a family." Adds Morgan, "I love these kids and I love Kyra, so the family dynamic we had was very easy. I would love to say how hard I worked at caring about these people, but I actually do."
If all of the on-screen dread isn’t quite compelling enough, the truth has a way of coming back with a vengeance. “The last thing I’ll leave you with and let you all freak out,” starts Morgan. “All of our props - the dibbuk box included - were put in storage in Vancouver, so we could go back if we had to do reshoots. A week after we wrapped filming, the storage unit burned to the ground. It was investigated, it wasn’t arson, and it wasn’t an electrical fire. It started from within. That’s all I’m going to say.”
The Possession invades theaters on Friday, August 31st.
"There was this story of this unusual dibbuk box. It had all these great real life elements and weird phenomenon that happened to the various people that had owned it," says White. However, when it came down to laying the groundwork for the movie, one question remained. "OK, this is really an interesting object, but who are the people we should hand this to that begins this phenomenon for them?"
Set in contemporary times, The Possession relates the story of the Brenek family. Recently divorced, Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) stay civil as they shuffle their two daughters between homes. As their youngest daughter Emily (Natasha Calis) immediately becomes obsessed with a mysterious wooden box she found at a yard sale, neither parent sees any harm. That is until a domino affect of unusual occurrences, horrific moth infestations and Em's sudden dangerous behavior takes over the family. When Clyde begins to investigate the box's increasing importance in Emily's life, his worst fear is confirmed - she has in fact unlocked a Jewish dibbuk box and is trapped by the evil spirit inside. With the help of a young Hasidic son of a rabbi, Tzadok (Matisyahu), the Brenek family will stop at nothing to free Emily of her possession.
Although led by legendary Danish director Ole Bornedal and industry vets Morgan and Sedgwick, the bulk of the film's success was to be determined through the casting of Emily. "It’s very much to do about finding natural people. I needed to see real characters, with naked performances," admits Bornedal. Luckily it all fell into place quickly and with one unforgettable audition. "Natasha was actually the first girl I cast and I knew in my heart that she was the right one."
During her audition, Calis began weeping and insisted that there was an old Polish lady sitting inside of her. Completely improvised, Bornedal was so impressed and moved by her performance, he insisted a change be made. "I talked to the writers on set and said, I really think this needs to be an old woman who’s Polish," he laughs. "She actually created that (story) for the film, and we found this voice that colors the whole movie." Without skipping a beat, Morgan adds, "This audition he’s talking about, that’s what made me do the movie."
Another important piece of the story was defined in the hands of a familiar face, but untested in the world of acting. Roots, reggae artist Matisyahu won the role of Tzadok - the street-smart Hasidic kid unfazed by the danger of the dibbuk - thanks in large part to his pure charisma and genuine religious beliefs. With an immediate on-screen impact, his presence helped pace the climactic exorcism scene between the family and Emily. As Tzadok intensely screamed the prayers of the Torah, Matisyahu wasn't just saying his lines, he understood its meaning. "There was a real war happening and it says in the Torah that the weapon of the Jews is their mouths. The idea was to cut through the forces of evil. Through the words, through the prayers."
Balancing the film's horrifying events is a real sense of family that Morgan, Sedgwick and Calis created. As their world spirals out of the control, the audience can easily sympathize with their confusion, care and ultimate terror. "I have empathy for the (Breneks), they were trying to do it right. I think that’s what sets this movie apart," says Sedgwick. "The horror is great, but it’s a real story about people who are struggling to stay together as a family in the midst of breaking up as a family." Adds Morgan, "I love these kids and I love Kyra, so the family dynamic we had was very easy. I would love to say how hard I worked at caring about these people, but I actually do."
If all of the on-screen dread isn’t quite compelling enough, the truth has a way of coming back with a vengeance. “The last thing I’ll leave you with and let you all freak out,” starts Morgan. “All of our props - the dibbuk box included - were put in storage in Vancouver, so we could go back if we had to do reshoots. A week after we wrapped filming, the storage unit burned to the ground. It was investigated, it wasn’t arson, and it wasn’t an electrical fire. It started from within. That’s all I’m going to say.”
The Possession invades theaters on Friday, August 31st.
Author:
Tristen Gacoscos
Date:
on
movie: The Possession 2012