Obsession Review

Obsession is Curry Barker’s first theatrical film and uses the opportunity to explore toxic relationships through a cursed-wish story.

Bear (Michael Johnston) has been in love with his friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), ever since they were kids. He never had the courage to tell her his feelings. Instead of saying anything to Nikki, Bear makes a wish to force the young woman to love him. However, the loved-up Nikki is not the woman Bear knew.

Obsession has been a highly praised film. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness Block and played at South by Southwest. It has earned a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and, at the time of writing, has high scores on IMDb and Letterboxd. It’s already matching other recent acclaimed horror films like Talk to Me, Together, and Weapons. I saw it at a Scream Unseen screening, and the audience I was with was really into the film.

Obsession was a mix of horror ideas. The setup was a careful “what you wish for” story, mixed with the misogynistic idea that women exist only to serve men. It was a mix of Wonder Woman 1984, Companion, and Blink Twice. Wonder Woman 1984 had a plotline where Steve Trevor’s mind transferred onto another man’s body after Wonder Woman made a wish. Whilst Companion and Blink Twice showed how women were exploited by men for their own desires.

Obsession acknowledges how terrible it would be for Nikki to lose her free will. Nikki couldn’t function without Bear. When Bear went to work, Nikki pretty much became an NPC who had no agenda. Her behaviour was erratic: she had wild mood swings, was clingy, and possessive. It was like she was obsessed. If things didn’t go Nikki’s way, she would take violent action against herself and others. It led to the film’s most shocking moments, which were as gruesome as those found in Talk to Me and Bring Her Back.

Navarrette was brilliant as this unhinged character. Nikki’s mood could flip at any moment, and Navarrette brought an awkward energy to the role. Navarrette’s awkwardness made Nikki’s presence darkly funny and unsettling in equal measure. There was an underlying darkness to the character because the real Nikki was trapped in her body and trying to take back control. Navarrette’s appearance and performance felt similar to Jodie Comer due to the character shifts, like the Liverpudlian actress managed in My Mad Fat Diary and Killing Eve.

The film’s core concept was incel-inspired horror. A loveless loser wishes to find a girlfriend. It would have been easy to make Bear an irredeemable figure, but he was portrayed in a sympathetic light. He was a shy and nervous fella who suffered from unrequited love. Many people could relate to him in some way. Bear had the naïve belief that he needed to be in a relationship.

Bear started the film at a low point because he was struggling with his feelings for Nikki and had found his cat dead. Bear made his wish out of desperation and loneliness, but finds he’s trapped in a toxic, abusive relationship. Nikki would threaten violence against herself or others if Bear dared try to leave her. This film featured more cat body desecration than I wanted to see.