Bear (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his childhood friend and co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette). It’s not just a little crush, as Bear has been in love with Nikki for as long as he can remember, but he can’t tell her how he feels. His best friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and his girlfriend Sarah (Megan Lawless) encourage him to just tell Nikki how he feels, but he never capitalizes on the opportunity.
The four of them work at a music store together, and Nikki tells Bear she’s going to put in her two weeks because it feels like the right time to move on. One night, Bear is supposed to meet his friends for drinks, but stops at a new-age shop to get Nikki a gift. He winds up getting a One Wish Willow, a gag toy that seemingly grants wishes.
After Bear fumbles what is perhaps the widest opening anyone could have to tell their crush that they have feelings for them, he uses the One Wish Willow himself and wishes that Nikki loved him more than anyone in the world. Unfortunately for him, the toy actually grants his wish, but he never could have imagined the weight of a wish that heavy.
Curry Barker’s Obsession Was Inspired By The Simpsons
This is Obsession, Curry Barker’s first theatrical feature film. He got his start on YouTube with Cooper Tomlinson as a part of the sketch comedy duo “that’s a bad idea.” In addition to comedy shorts, Barker also dabbled in horror. His directorial debut, Milk & Serial, was made in four months on an $800 budget. The film was released for free on YouTube, went viral, and is the reason Barker is a film director today.
Obsession was initially inspired by the “Treehouse of Horror II” episode of The Simpsons, specifically the segment where Bart finds a monkey’s paw that grants wishes. Conceptually, Obsession is a lot like Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey. Both films are about a cursed item or toy that does exactly what it’s advertised to do. But whereas Perkins’s film is practically built around a cast of asshole characters, essentially bridging the gap between unbelievable deaths, Obsession has a more coherent story; most of the characters are still selfish assholes, but the gore feels earned.
Deep Into Unrestrained Madness
For the first hour of Obsession, the film is mostly driven by dialogue that explores how the wish has affected Nikki, and by the slow reveal of just how deep into unrestrained madness Nikki has been thrust. It’s also safe to say that Inde Navarrette’s performance will make or break your opinion of the film. It’s a tricky situation because Navarrette does a stellar job of bringing this insanity to life, but there’s no arguing that she’s annoying as hell.
On one hand, that is kind of the point of Bear’s wish; that he’s bitten off more than he can chew, and we as the audience have to pay for that in some regard. But Navarrette’s screeching tantrums, as Nikki’s overwhelming clinginess overshadows the undeniable creepiness, unexpected moments of humor, and any other positive qualities this tiny $1 million supernatural horror film has.
What Obsession gets right about Nikki is that there seem to be momentary lapses with the wish where she regains control and has just enough time to scream, “What the f— am I doing” before jolting right back into Bear worship mode. Nikki’s reactions in the film are what keep it interesting. You never know how far she’s going to go because just when you think she’s crossed a line, she surpasses it in the next scene. This film treats Bear’s cat as if it’s auditioning for Bernie in Weekend at Bernie’s, and most of that is Nikki’s doing.
In addition to acting erratically and violently, Nikki basically starts glitching as if the wish is altering her perception of reality. Bear wakes up in the middle of the night to find Nikki standing in the far corner of the bedroom, hiding behind furniture in the darkness. She begins yelling and doing strange things with a flower vase before moving around the room unnaturally.
At Its Nastiest In Its Last Thirty Minutes
As mentioned previously, Obsession rides on dialogue and unsettling behavior for its first hour. This is noteworthy because the bright red movie standee for Obsession at the theater featured a quote calling the film a blood bath. Obsession is at its nastiest in its last 20-30 minutes. Without spoiling too much, Nikki really only mutilates two things throughout the film; herself, not included. She likes to come back around to the things she’s destroyed. Maybe it’s because there are things that Bear enjoyed that weren’t hers.
But that nastiness isn’t just referring to the blood spilled in Obsession. Bear’s friends reveal their true nature near the end of the film, and it’s at a pivotal moment in the story. Bear figures out a way to break the wish, but one of his friends lets him down big time. The film takes a huge swing with its finale, as its final moments are incredible. It’s bleak and devastating, but it’s also something the film builds up from the moment Bear walks into the store inquiring about the One Wish Willow.
Curry Barker has crafted something mostly special for an almost non-existent budget. The story is compelling, the acting is solid, and Obsession feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison to similar horror films. However, it’s disappointing that one shrill character trait nearly ruins the entire film. It’s because of this that Obsession will have to settle for being a well-made, well-written film dominated by one aggressively irritating character, which will hinder future rewatches much like Frank Darabont’s The Mist.
Obsession will be released in theaters on May 15 through Focus Features.