Obsession
Director: Curry Barker
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter
Rating: ★★★★★
I am breaking a cardinal rule of mine for movie reviews with Obsession. This will be a spoiler-filled review. Usually, I talk about how a film has been made and how it made me feel, and that is enough. But with Obsession, it is impossible to discuss its impact or critique it without the specifics of those scenes and themes. To say that Obsession will go down in history as one of the seminal horror films is no exaggeration. Curry Barker’s feature film debut is everything horror needs to be – dark, tragic, scary, and discomforting. But it is so much more. It shines a mirror onto our society’s most privileged and ubiquitous monster – the nice guys. And it does so in a way that feels relatable across genders.
The premise (Spoilers ahead!)
Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee, has an unrequited crush on his co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarette). Since he is too chicken to tell her this himself (even after she asks him point-blank), he figures the only way is to wish it. The only thing is that the wish comes true. Nikki now loves him ‘more than anything in the world’. The only catch is that Bear comes to realise this is not Nikki, but something forced to replicate that deep love for him. The real Nikki is trapped underneath. The tussle between the two and not-Nikki’s ‘love’ leads to a violent showdown as Bear realises he has bitten off more than he can chew.
The real monster of Obsession
First things first. Despite what you have seen on TikToks or Instagram Reels, Nikki is not the monster here. Despite her outbursts and eerie behaviour, she is very much the victim, reduced to a puppet due to the obsession of a man who refuses to recognise her autonomy. The monster is Bear, and the titular obsession is his. Very subtly and very cleverly, Obsession sets up Bear as a likeable young man. He is awkward, even respectful, and shy. When his wish comes true, he is the perfect boyfriend, but only till the cracks begin to show.
There were two moments in the film that very clearly set Bear up as our bad guy. One is a chilling moment where he hears the real Nikki’s scream and chooses to distance himself from it. He does not want to confront the reality: that he has forced an innocent girl into this life of sex slavery. The second is more direct, when Nikki reaches out, in pain. And his only response is: ‘What is so bad about being with me?’ The entitlement, the righteousness, and the unwillingness to be accountable are the monsters here – ones that we see around us every day.
Crafted splendidly
Curry Barker’s debut is a breath of fresh air. Horror, as a genre, is having its best run in decades in Hollywood. Independent, new voices have breathed new life into it over the last few years, and Barker is carrying the torch forward. The economics of Obsession is a blessing in disguise for the film. Cash-strapped, the director and crew resorted to practical effects and makeup to create the horror, which immerses you far deeper into this world. It adds to the realism. The decision to shoot the film in grainy, dark conditions makes it all the more grim and personal. DOP Taylor Clemons’ decision not to show Nikki’s face in many pivotal scenes stands out, as it allows Inde Navarette to chill us with her voice and creates an uncanny valley effect for the viewer, pushing the discomfort meter to the max.
But it’s the score that clinches it for me. In so many places, Rock Burwell increases the anxiety by building up the crescendo, only to diffuse it without a scare. The anticipation keeps on building, and when it does erupt, the payoff (and the jump) is so enormous that one feels it within. The result is exhausting but in a good way, in a way that horror is supposed to make you feel.
Inde Navaratte, the revelation
Apart from Curry Barker, if there is a star in Obsession, it’s young Inde Navarette. The young actor delivers a tour de force in a performance that is likely to be talked about for years. Nikki starts off playful, cheerful, and sassy. It may be a horror-victim trope, but it plays well. But it is the transformation that she nails. The smile and the quick switches aside, the way Inde plays with her voice and creates a disquieting ambience in some scenes is chilling. It is quite easily the best acting performance of the year so far, and I struggle to think what could top it.
Obsession as social commentary
Horror has always been a genre that is more political than the rest. It’s just that for years, it was looked down upon as a mishmash of monsters and ghouls. Thanks to pioneers like Jordan Peele, Danny Boyle, and del Toro, that is no longer the case. Obsession is the next logical step in that progression. The film is a heightened retelling of how men – even the ones who think they are all things nice – fail to understand consent, autonomy, and the free will of a woman. And once again, it shows how the scariest monster is often a man who refuses to respect a woman.