Possessor

It’s not a coincidence that Possessor shares some thematic and stylistic similarities to David Cronenberg’s early body-horror movies.

The sophomore directorial effort of Cronenberg’s son, Brandon, is an atmospheric Canadian thriller that lacks the psychological subtext to translate its conceptual audacity into much more than a creepy — and intermittently shocking — science-fiction oddity.

The story centers on Tasya (Andrea Riseborough), who works for a top-secret murder-for-hire organization that has perfected technology allowing assassins to infiltrate the bodies of kidnapped victims, thereby never compromising their identity during the kill.

At the risk of estrangement from her husband (Rossif Sutherland) and young son, Tasya answers the call from her boss (Jennifer Jason Leigh) for a hit involving a wealthy financier (Sean Bean) and her daughter (Tuppence Middleton).

Her task becomes assuming the identity of the daughter’s fiancé, Collin (Christopher Abbott), a former drug dealer who’s become a low-level minion in his soon-to-be father-in-law’s company. Such assignments always come with perilous risks, however, and the emotionally troubled Tasya already is prone to hallucinations that could compromise the entire scheme.

In case there was any question, Possessor isn’t for the squeamish. From the first shot, which features a woman puncturing her skull with a needle at close range, Cronenberg more than fulfills the gore quotient for genre aficionados.

Beneath its unsettling surface, however, his slow-burning screenplay isn’t as provocative as intended, in part because the body-swapping complications seem arbitrarily weird rather than adherent to a sturdy logical framework.

The film struggles to maintain consistent tension and establish a deeper emotional connection while it explores the ethical ramifications for those involved in its high-tech transgressions.

Essentially playing dual roles, Abbott (It Comes at Night) is captivating whenever he’s on screen. Ditto for the chameleonic Riseborough (Nancy), whose committed portrayal helps overcome an inherent lack of sympathy for these unscrupulous rogues.

Despite some haunting imagery and a handful of visceral thrills, plus a clever twist that shifts perspective in the final act, Possessor remains an elaborate exercise in style over substance.

Still, it showcases enough potential from a technical standpoint to suggest that the Cronenberg filmmaking legacy will remain in assured hands for years to come.

Not rated, 104 minutes.