otr ▁Ste pan ov ich ▁Ver kh ov ens ky ▁in ▁The ▁Poss essed . ▁V ér on ique ▁and ▁Guillaume ▁are ▁engaged ▁in ▁a ▁personal ▁relationship , ▁with ▁V ér on ique ▁as ▁the ▁more ▁committed , ▁dominant ▁partner . ▁ ▁Y v onne ▁is ▁a ▁girl ▁from ▁the ▁country ▁who ▁occasionally ▁works ▁as ▁a ▁prost itute ▁for ▁extra ▁money ▁to ▁purchase ▁consumer ▁goods ▁( m uch ▁like ▁Jul iet te ▁J anson , ▁the ▁principal ▁character ▁in ▁God ard ' s ▁previous ▁film , ▁Two ▁or ▁Three ▁Things ▁I ▁Know ▁About ▁Her ). ▁ ▁Y v onne ▁does ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁house clean ing ▁in ▁the ▁a partment ▁and , ▁together ▁with ▁Guillaume , ▁she ▁acts ▁out ▁sat ir ical ▁political ▁sk its ▁protest ing ▁American ▁imperial ism ▁in ▁general , ▁and ▁U . S . ▁President ▁Ly nd on ▁Johnson ' s ▁Vietnam ▁policy ▁in ▁particular . ▁ ▁Henri ▁is ▁eventually ▁exp elled ▁from ▁the ▁group ▁for ▁his ▁apparent ▁back sl iding ▁Soviet ▁revision ism , ▁com ically ▁suggested ▁by ▁his ▁defense ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 4 ▁Nicholas ▁Ray ▁movie ▁Johnny ▁Gu itar . ▁In ▁this ▁sense ▁he ▁lo os ely ▁corresponds ▁to ▁the ▁character ▁of ▁Ivan ▁Sh at ov ▁in ▁The ▁Poss essed , ▁a ▁student ▁who ▁is ▁marked ▁for ▁assass ination ▁because ▁he ▁has ▁abandoned ▁the ▁ten ets ▁of ▁left ist ▁radical ism . ▁ ▁Kir il ov ▁is ▁the ▁only ▁character ▁in ▁the ▁film ▁who ▁actually ▁takes ▁his ▁name ▁from ▁a ▁character ▁in ▁D osto