The Possessed (French: Les Possédés) is a 1988 French drama film directed by Andrzej Wajda and starring Isabelle Huppert. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.
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Plot
Based on the 1872 novel Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the story is set in 19th-century Russia, in a small provincial town plagued by political unrest and social upheaval. The town's inhabitants are divided into various factions, including radical intellectuals, aristocrats, government officials, and peasants, each with their own agendas and ideologies.
The central figure in the story is Nikolai Stavrogin, a mysterious and enigmatic aristocrat who returns to his hometown after an extended absence in Switzerland. Stavrogin's arrival sparks intrigue and controversy among the town's residents, as rumors circulate about his scandalous past and his involvement in a tragic incident years earlier.
Stavrogin's presence disrupts the lives of those around him, including the governor's wife, Varvara Stavrogina, and her stepson, Pyotr Verkhovensky, a charismatic and radical revolutionary. Verkhovensky is a fervent advocate for social change and seeks to incite a revolution against the existing order.
As tensions escalate within the community, fueled by Stavrogin's provocative actions and Verkhovensky's radical ideology, the characters find themselves drawn into a web of intrigue, manipulation, and moral corruption. Verkhovensky forms a secret society of radicals, recruiting disaffected youths and intellectuals to his cause.