obsession

We’ve all wanted something so badly that we would do anything to get it. But as it turns out, actually getting it is where things get complicated. and uncomfortable. and horrifying. Obsession takes that very relatable feeling and ups the intensity.

Obsession follows Bear, who buys a wishing willow for a girl he’s in love with, but when his nerves get the best of him, he uses it himself, wishing that she loved him and no one else. He doesn’t believe that it did anything, but he quickly finds out, Be careful what you wish for. Born from the mind of Curry Barker, this film stars Michael Johnson, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless, and Cooper Tomlinson.

Now, before I dive in — fun fact: director Curry Barker was actually a YouTuber whose short horror film caught the eye of James Harris, who wanted him to adapt it into a feature. Instead, he pitched Obsession, and the rest is history. The film draws inspiration from Treehouse of Horror II, the Simpsons episode with the monkey's paw. And if you've seen The Monkey, Smile, or Companion, this film has similar energy- think those vibes, with a little Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' sprinkled on top. Alright, before I get into the characters, I do want to throw out a spoiler warning. If you haven't seen Obsession yet, I definitely recommend going in fresh, so pause here, go watch it, and come back. For everyone else, let's get into it.

Obsession is a horror film with a little bit of romance mixed in, which is how it caught my eye. Wish-gone-wrong scenarios interest me because you can really see how not being specific can harm you more than you might think. What really solidifies the movie’s story is how Bear takes advantage of this because he likes Nikki so much, instead of trying to reverse it before it gets out of control. The movie is not only a be careful what you wish for type scenario, but also asks if your wish goes wrong, will you attempt to fix it, which Bear asks himself a little too late.

Bear is played by Michael Johnson, who comes off as this innocent nice guy who’s just in love with his friend Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette. He wishes that Nikki would love him and only him, which comes true, but it creates an unhealthy obsession with him. The nice guy persona gets thrown out the window because there are plenty of times for him to realize his friend is acting weird because she is obsessed with him, and try to help, but he doesn’t because her being in love with him benefits him. She loses her autonomy, and he’s just living his life and only attempts to change things when it gets too difficult. In the end, he kills himself to free her, but that’s not even selfless because he is doing it so she stops bothering him. She has now killed all their friends and is ”free,” but the trauma and legal ramifications, possibly, will be lifelong. And the only person to blame is Bear.  He was such an interesting character to follow because I started rooting for him to get the love of his life, then slowly stopped as he put himself over her well-being.

I like how the film starts as a romance film, not just in the story, but also from the lighting to the music. It makes you seem hopeful that Bear will get the girl, well, in a more respectable way. Of course, it pivots into full horror, but also, some scenes aren’t scary but will make you uncomfortable. One of the scariest was when Nikki was in the corner of the bedroom watching Bear sleep. I was horrified at the movements, and even though I knew she “loved” him and wouldn’t hurt him, it was scary.  What makes it even crazier is that Bear has someone who actually wants him, Sarah, in a healthy, normal way. But of course, Bear is too caught up with the love of his life, who is forced to love him.

Sarah, played by Megan Lawless in the film, was one person I felt wasn't completely messed up in the head. She seemed to have a future, and the only mistake she made was having a crush on Bear.  I felt that she was the opposite of Bear cause she liked him, but wasn’t going to do anything crazy. I’m glad she told Bear that Nikki and Ian were hooking up before, which I kind of had a feeling about because Ian was acting weird to me. In the end, she gets into college, which was her dream, but unfortunately, because of Bear, she gets her head bashed in by Nikki. I was really hoping she could have a happy ending and was sad that she couldn’t, and all she was trying to do was warn Bear that Nikki and his so-called best friend were playing in his face.

Speaking of  Bear’s best friend, Ian, he is played by Cooper Tomlinson. He knows Bear likes Nikki and has been hooking up with her behind his back. I found him annoying because I had a feeling he was hooking up with Nikki, which, shockingly, I was right about. It seems like he was encouraging even though he knew it wasn’t going to work out. Even though he wasn’t the best friend to have, he did genuinely care for Nikki and knew something was off with the way she was acting. I love how he tells Bear multiple times that she is acting weird and calls Bear out for taking advantage of her. Later, he has the chance to help fix stuff when Bear yells at him to undo his wish, and he instead asks for a billion dollars cause he thinks it’s a joke, and then he gets killed by Nikki. I do wish he were honest with Bear in the beginning instead of making him believe he had a chance with Nikki.

My favorite part of the film was Inde Navarette, who plays Nikki. She gives a truly haunting performance as Nikki, which will have you scared but also feeling bad and hoping that she can somehow snap out of it.  Whatever took her body over was insane, and she did such a good job showing that, but also how, when it sleeps, the real Nikki was communicating and just in so much pain from the sound of her voice. In horror films it’s often sad when someone gets possessed, but in her case, it just feels worse because usually people will try to get you back to normal, but Bear just wanted her love, whether it was real or not. In the end, she is finally freed but surrounded by bodies, most of which were killed with her hands. Sadly, even her survival feels like punishment because she’s lost everything because of Bear.  Inde was just such a standout in a film with some great performances.

Obsession is a bold original idea that presents a fascinating twist on Be Careful What You Wish For. The story is great and leaves room to expand if they choose to go further with it.  Even as a standalone, the film will have you reevaluating your desires and thinking maybe I don't want it bad enough to risk the safety of my loved ones.