Obsession, the word, has a clear negative connotation. It conjures up images of sleepless nights, wide-eyed enthusiasm, and frantic possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet also a coy self awareness. \u201comg I\u2019m obsessed.\u201d To know that indulgence is wrong but to indulge nonetheless.<\/p>\n
The film Obsession<\/em>, fully delivers on the promise of its title, presenting a narrative of selfish desire and exploitation that has left moviegoers appropriately obsessed with this film.\u00a0<\/p>\n The premise speaks to a common trope in fantasy literature that has obvious problematic implications. A love potion, a spell, a genie\u2019s wish, either way the outcome is the same. To magically force someone to love you, circumventing their free will. It\u2019s a situation often regarded with comedy, as the infatuated victim dotes over their new love\u2019s every insignificant whim, but Obsession sees this premise to its extreme, the last word on the familiar setup.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the film, Baron \u201cBear\u201d Bailey, a timid exemplar of the deceptive \u201cnice guy\u201d archetype, played by Michael Johnston, wishes that his crush, Nikki Freeman (yes that\u2019s her last name) would love him more \u201cthan anyone in the f*cking world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n With the help of some supernatural magic, this time in the form of an enchanted stick called a \u201cOne Wish Willow,\u201d Nikki is transformed from Bear\u2019s grounded and self assured bestie into his clingy, volatile puddle of a girlfriend.\u00a0<\/p>\n While a comedy might make her newfound love obnoxious and slightly overbearing, Obsession<\/em> takes a wildly different approach, twisting this already warped scenario as Nikki comes up with every manner of unnerving display of affection in the possession playbook.\u00a0<\/p>\n From watching Bear sleep to turning his recently deceased pet into a lunchtime snack, her misguided attempts to constantly woo him are both familiar yet horrifyingly original. As is the case with the premise, common scenarios are flawlessly executed, building morbid curiosity before every reveal only for you to recoil with disgust as the film tops your subverted expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n At first these unsettling bits of mania are peppered throughout normal lovey dovey scenes, paired with more comedic scenarios played for uncomfortable laughs. But the tone throughout is one of overwhelmingly foreboding unease. Everyone is aware of what is actually going on, but no one wants to address the infatuated elephant in the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subtle makeup tricks turn dark lighting into demonic displays of uncanny terror, and clever post production make Nikki\u2019s movements go from subtly unusual to inhumanely puppeteered in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n Inde Navarrette\u2019s performance as Nikki is what really sells the narrative, bridging the gap between Bear\u2019s male fantasy and its eerily stilted reality. Occasionally, she will snap out of the spell she\u2019s under in a violently confused state, asking where she is and what\u2019s going on. These moments are truly some of the scariest in the film, accomplished entirely without\u00a0 practical effects or traditional horror elements. Just pure performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Crazy possession antics are one thing, but seeing the confused, helpless victim break through for just a moment, only to be shoved back down into the sunken place, adds a disconcerting duality to every interaction.<\/p>\n It paints Bear in an increasingly predatory light, as he sleeps with a woman he clearly knows cannot act upon her own will. Watching him convince himself that everything is fine, that what he\u2019s doing isn\u2019t awful, is as disheartening as it is realistic. His character is a sobering glimpse into the mindset of abusers who cyclically convince themselves that their actions are justified, no matter how many warning signs explicitly call them out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bear isn\u2019t the only wrongdoer in this film either. What appears to be a normal group of friends quickly unravels as Nikki\u2019s \u201clove\u201d dramatically changes the dynamic. From the beginning, their friendship is seeded with details that seem innocuous at first but come tumbling apart as Nikki\u2019s possession pulls at the strings of their precarious relationships. The subtle balancing act of love and deceit is thrown into survival mode as each person\u2019s desires are complicated by Nikki\u2019s abrupt personality shift.\u00a0<\/p>\n What follows is a selfish scramble as each of their friends attempt to fulfill their own wishes, but without the help of the supernatural, resorting instead to good old fashioned manipulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nikki isn\u2019t the villain in Obsession. And neither is the One Wish Willow.\u201d The normal, unpossessed people are what make this story the resonant horror that it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s an impressive feat for director and internet content creator Curry Barker, who managed to make the film with a budget of only $750,000. A truly Herculean feat, even more impressive with the seamless practical effects and the film\u2019s incredible commercial success.\u00a0<\/p>\n So far, it has grossed over $297 million and doesn\u2019t seem to be slowing anytime soon. One hell of a return on investment for co-producer Focus Features, who believed in the film enough to invest a ~8 million dollar marketing budget, which helped to catapult it to blockbuster status<\/p>\n Word of mouth on this film has been overwhelmingly positive, with almost everyone who has seen it instantly asking if their friends have seen it so they can marvel and discuss together like fresh gossip about a mutual acquaintance.\u00a0<\/p>\n