SPOILER: This column contains potential spoilers for “Obsession.”
I left the theater shocked Monday night after watching the psychological thriller “Obsession,” released May 15.
While the film had some gruesome moments, it was the eerie atmosphere that became the movie’s disturbing core. Despite my disgust and sustained shock, “Obsession” has become one of my favorite horror films released in the past few years for its bold blend of both psychological and physical horror.
The story starts with Bear (Michael Johnston) as he practices telling his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), that he likes her. It is clear early on that Bear is extremely self-conscious about telling Nikki this news, even going so far as to ask a nearby waitress for her opinion.
When Bear visits an occult store to buy a crystal necklace for Nikki, he buys a novelty gift called a “One Wish Willow.” Instead of giving this gift to Nikki and telling her his feelings, he chooses to snap it for himself and wishes that Nikki would love him “more than anyone in the entire world,” commencing the film’s twisted plot.
I really enjoyed the film’s dark nature, one that established very early on what kind of movie I was in for. For example, before he makes the fated wish, Bear first returns home, grimly noticing that his cat is dead. Somehow the cat managed to get into Bear’s pill drawer, marking the film’s frequent encounter with death and odd occurrences.
The film has supernatural undertones. The way Nikki acts almost seems like she is possessed by the spell the “One Wish Willow” put on her. It is once this spell begins to take full effect that Bear faces the consequences of his actions, and Nikki starts to go to extreme lengths to be close to him.
I was grossed out by the lines that this possessed Nikki crossed, such as digging Bear’s cat up to make a shrine and later using the cat in a sandwich for Bear to unknowingly eat. However, unlike many other horror movies, such as “Midsommar” or “Terrifier,” that feel like they just use grossly intense scenes for shock value, “Obsession” defies this norm.
The entity inside Nikki tries to appease Bear’s guilt from his own negligence regarding his pet’s death. As his cat only died because of his own inability to lock away his grandmother’s pills, Bear throws away the body and has trouble recalling the incident to his friends to cover up his mistake.
The movie’s psychologically thrilling moments where Bear questions if the spell could make Nikki truly love him are simultaneously amplified by the film’s gross visuals. The result shows the lengths some people would go through for true love, as Bear continues to put up with Nikki’s insane actions until the very end.
If I was Bear, I definitely would have tried to put an end to the spell way earlier. This struggle between my decisions and what the character actually did was increasingly frustrating as the movie continued. I mean if someone is locking you in your house by duct-taping the door, are you really going to stay?
Bear’s fatal flaw in letting the situation get out of hand felt heavily rooted in his insecurities around his initial crush on Nikki.
The deadly consequences of the “One Wish Willow” eventually prove to Bear that he should have just told Nikki that he liked her and been okay with her answer. Instead, Nikki becomes Bear’s property through the spell’s forced devotion, illustrating the film’s throughline of the importance of consent, as Nikki becomes a forced participant in the spell without any real knowledge of it.
It seemed like Bear fell in love with the idea of being with Nikki, without having any regard for Nikki herself. He only really rejects the idea of being with her once Nikki starts to perform strange tasks that take the situation too far for him, instead of when it is best to end it for her sake.
For some viewers, “Obsession” might prove to be too disturbing to endure. But as my current favorite film of the year, I can say that “Obsession” is a must-see film — not just for horror enthusiasts but for every movie-goer who appreciates bold filmmaking.
