Paper short abstract:

'POSSESSED' enters the complicated worlds of four hoarders. It questions whether hoarding is a symptom of mental illness or a revolt against the material recklessness of consumerism. When does collecting become hoarding and why do possessions exert such an influence on our lives?

Paper long abstract:

'POSSESSED' enters the complicated worlds of four hoarders; people whose lives are dominated by their relationship to possessions. The film's structure follows four separate monologues, starting with a collector of books who is losing control of his hobby, followed by a compulsive ebay shopper who spent £15,000 of credit on mobile phones. Thirdly we encounter a woman who can't throw anything away and whose house is a time capsule of everything that's ever entered the door. The final chapter features a gentleman whose small apartment has fallen into a state of total abandon, piled high with mounds of torn paper and records, while he mourns the death of his beloved mother. The film asks indirectly whether hoarding is a symptom of mental illness or a revolt against the material recklessness of consumerism. It looks for the moment when 'collecting' become 'hoarding', and ultimately asks why possessions exert such an influence on our lives.