Obsession Review
Obsession is the new horror film Directed/Written by Curry Baker who brought you the short film Milk & Serial on YouTube. This has been on my watch list for the last month or two and I can say (non-spoilers of course) that it was worth the wait/hype. When people say things like, “there are no original ideas” that just shows they aren’t looking hard enough. Obsession is not only one of the best original films of the 2020's but one of the best movies of this year.
This film follows a young man named Bear who has been chasing after his childhood crush (Nikki Freeman played by Inde Navarrette) for years to no avail. One night he goes inside this store looking for a replacement necklace for Nikki but also comes out with a, “One Wish Willow” which is capable of granting any wish to the user. Not believing in it Bear makes a wish that Nikki had the same feelings for him that he does for her. While Bear's wish comes to it doesn't come without consequences.
I have yet to see Milk & Serial but from this film I can tell that Curry Baker is going to make one hell of a horror director. What makes Obsession so terrifying is not only the phenomenal performance from Inde Navarrette but also how the film is shot. There are several scenes in this film where Curry Baker intentionally didn't show Nikki's face. This add a lot more tension to the scene because the audience doesn't know if Nikki is going to do something horrifying or not. It really keeps the viewer guessing seeing how you don't know if the real Nikki is going to come out or if she's gone forever.
Going in depth about how the film is shot… you are like Bear. Whenever, Nikki isn't around or he is hiding from Nikki you're constantly looking around Bear to see if Nikki is stalking him. Bear doesn't necessarily start out as an unlikable protagonist but he does become unlikable later in the film when he has multiple opportunities to fix his wish that he made with being with Nikki.
Bear practically took away Nikki's consciousness and her freewill just because he had feelings for her since they grew up together. Similar films like, Marty Supreme, The Wolf Of Wall Street, etc. You aren't rooting for the protagonist, you're waiting on his ultimate demise. The only victim in this situation was Nikki and the ending to this is not only heartbreaking for her as well. None of the terrible things that Nikki said/did would have happened if Bear would have just confessed his feelings in the first place.
If Amy Madigan can get award recognition for Weapons there is no reason Inde Navarrette shouldn't either. We aren't halfway through the year yet and I know for a fact that this film will remain in my top 10 by the end of this year. It's one of the best films of the year and Inde Navarrette definitely deserves to be in next year’s award conversation.
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
