Possession (2002 film)

Possession
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Neil LaBute
Produced by	Barry Levinson Stephen Pevner Paula Weinstein
Written by	David Henry Hwang Laura Jones Neil LaBute
Based on	Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt
Starring	Aaron Eckhart Gwyneth Paltrow Jeremy Northam Jennifer Ehle
Music by	Gabriel Yared
Cinematography	Jean-Yves Escoffier
Edited by	Claire Simpson
Distributed by	Focus Features (USA) Warner Bros. Pictures (International)
Release date	August 16, 2002 (Limited) August 30, 2002
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom
Language	English French
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$14,815,898

Possession is a 2002 American/British romantic/mystery drama film written and directed by Neil LaBute, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. It was based on the 1990 novel of the same name by British author A. S. Byatt, who won the Booker Prize for it the year it was published.

A fictional story of literary scholars American Roland Mitchell (Aaron Eckhart) and British Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow), who independently find that the socially antagonistic relationship between the Victorian era poets Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam) and Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle) may have concealed a secret connection as lovers. Ash is traditional and conservative and LaMotte is a freethinking bisexual. Rival scholars become aware of their efforts and each seeks to be the first at the public disclosure of this major finding about the poets. In a parallel relationship, Mitchell and Bailey have their own deepening connection.

Three early drafts of the film's screenplay were written by American playwright David Henry Hwang in the 1990s, but the project languished in pre-production for years. Directors such as Sydney Pollack and Gillian Armstrong worked on the film and eventually gave up before LaBute became director. LaBute made drastic changes to the story, based partially on notes that original author Byatt had made on earlier drafts of the screenplay, as she recognized that Roland Mitchell had to "exist on screen" in a different way than he did in the book.

LaBute recalled:

"What she basically said was, 'This is Roland on the page; you must make him different in a film!' She got that Roland needed more drive. Just seeing those notes kind of gave me the keys to the kingdom. And so in the film, Roland keeps making these wild, imaginative leaps about the poets' lives, and Maud's both charmed and appalled."