‘Obsession’ movie review: An all-consuming, precise horror debut
Horror is dependent on perspective, and tends to be most effective when it’s under constraints. In his astounding debut, Obsession, Curry Barker makes the case that he’s the genre’s next major auteur.
Obsession has a premise as old as fairy tales, where it examines the consequences of getting exactly what you want. It doesn’t take a literary scholar to know that any dream scenario that seems too good to be true probably is, but the film is less about the literal consequences and more about the slow splintering of that fantasy. While it addresses a fear of vulnerability that is specific to today’s generation of youths, the film is moulded with the same visceral, hand-crafted terror that defined the work of John Carpenter and Wes Craven. Director Barker was working with resources that forced his film to be grounded, and that resulted in it being even scarier.
Obsession introduces Michael Johnston as the young, aimless adolescent Bear, whose anxiety has made it challenging to dream of anything beyond his employment at a record store. Bear’s only source of hope is also what terrifies him most, as he is desperate to speak honestly with his co-worker Niki (Inde Navarrette), for whom he harbours a passionate crush. After blowing his opportunity to express his feelings and learning that she will lose her job, Bear half-heartedly uses a retro toy known as a ‘One Wish Willow’, asking for Niki to be obsessed with him. It’s to his shock that it works almost instantly, creating an awkward social scenario and an even more dangerous relationship.
The film succeeds in finding excruciating moments of authenticity within its character interactions, even before the supernatural twist. Bear isn’t depicted as being completely inept and pathetic, as he does seem to have a genuine heart; what’s most frustrating is that he may not have needed his wish in order to at least start a dialogue with Niki. The confidence that she has disarms him, which is seen in the way that Bear tries to map out conversations ahead of time. While this is automatically setting him up for failure because he can’t adapt to spontaneity, it’s an even bigger shock when Niki’s behaviour begins to feel ‘off’.
It’s to Obsession’s credit that it does not mask its twist through slow escalation. Niki immediately shows signs of concerning behaviour in which she acts with reckless abandon that isn’t consistent with the person that Bear has understood her to be. The stickiness in the film lies in how Bear chooses to interpret her actions; he is opposed to taking advantage of her vulnerable mental state and is often frightened by her erraticism, but he’s also fulfilled by the attention that he had never felt before. He has managed to convince himself that he can save Niki, and whether or not that is a selfish act is where Barker leaves the story up for interpretation.
The jump scares are effective because they don’t mask the threat. Niki is a time bomb waiting to explode, and the jarring way she inserts herself into inopportune moments leads to an increasing degree of suspense. While Barker is smart (and economical) to keep the story contained to select locations, it’s advantageous to make Bear’s world even more insular. Since he has invited Niki into every component of his life, he has little space to be alone when she insists on spending every waking moment with him.
Johnston is phenomenal because his performance is more than an audience avatar, and while he makes choices that seem logical in the moment, the fact that Bear is often too cowardly to fix evident issues allows the viewer to feel the same frustration that he does with himself. However, it’s Navarette’s performance that is bound to be talked about as one of the year’s best, as Niki has almost certainly solidified herself as a new horror icon. The actor is able to tune her personality on a moment’s notice, using charisma to mask intensity, all while doubling back to imply that Niki’s insecurities aren’t entirely evoked by her curse. Horror films have always gotten a raw deal when it comes to the Academy Awards, but Focus Features should start mounting her ‘Best Actress’ campaign.
Blumhouse joined the distribution team for Obsession as the production company faces an uncertain future, and it’s easy to see why such a high-concept horror movie would be appealing to the team behind Split and Sinister, but this film also reaches a place of brutality that no studio horror film would dare to, and even required a sharp edit in order to avoid receiving the dreaded NC-17 rating from the MPAA.
While it conjures pure dread and deeply uncomfortable conversations about consent, Obsession is also compulsively entertaining, with scenes or prolonged suspense that rank as minor masterpieces in their own right, and while not every much-hyped festival horror film can live up to expectations, this one is a burst of originality that feels sorely desired.
