April 19, 2009 — Patrick Zimmerman

Possessed: Just Mad About Hoarding

Possessed is a documentary made by the young British filmmaker Martin Hampton. The short film is a shocking depiction of people whose lives have been scarred by obsessive hoarding. Possessed enters the complicated worlds of four hoarders, people with everyday experiences that have become dominated by their relationships to possessions; mobile phones, books, food containers and pieces of paper have taken over the lives of these “collectors.”

The film shows the four hoarders talking about their behavior and how it has affected their lives. It raises the question of to what extent hoarding is a revolt against the material recklessness of consumerism, and to what degree it’s an obsessive symptom of mental illness. When does collecting turn into hoarding, and why do possessions exert such an influence on our lives? Even if you can’t relate to hoarding, you’ll still be fascinated and moved by the plight of Mr. Hampton’s subjects. They are in different stages of both awareness and desperation, but all four of them are so straightforward and sincere that you can’t help but feel for them.

Possessed: Just Mad About Hoarding

(Best Viewed Full-Screen)

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