MovieChat Forums > Possession (1983) Discussion > The teacher (Helen)

The teacher (Helen)

posted 8 years ago by henrimaine
2 replies | jump to latest

There are a lot of things in this movie that are confusing. But perhaps the most confusing thing to me was the teacher (Helen) - why did she look identical to the wife (Anna)? What was the meaning of that? I have not heard the director's commentary or read any explanations, so I can come up with my own theory. We saw that the "monster" developed into a man looking identical to the husband (Mark). Perhaps the teacher had developed from a similar monster some time ago. I'm not exactly sure what would be the significance of all that, but it seems logical to assume that if one of the doppelgängers originated in the monster, then the other one could have the same origin. By the end of the movie, both of the original versions are dead and the copies seem destined to take over their lives. The sounds of bombs falling over end credits could symbolize some sort of apocalypse.

[–] fleshrequiem 8 years ago

I'll try to explain as best I can.

The teacher, Helen, looks identical to Anna because she is the idealized version of her, the perfect doppelganger. She is sweet, clean, rational, minds the child like a good mother, and is everything Mark wants in Anna. At the end, both the doppelgangers take the place of their respective originals and what happens? The child drowns himself and the apocalypse starts. The child would rather die then live with his "Fake and Better" parents and whether or not the end of the world is true or symbolic...that's up to you. Is it the end of their world, or our world since we are all slowly being replaced due to an oppressive system? Possession has many themes, and a lot of them are entwined within one another.

Hope this helped a bit. :)

[–] muhamwi 8 years ago

I just like what you both write