“Obsession” follows the consequences of a wish by Bear, played by Michael Johnston, to make his ‘friend’ Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette, love him.

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The good

The movie stands out for its excellent camera work, highlighting Nikki's stark contrast with others by focusing on objective shots that emphasize her isolation, particularly after the wish. The cast delivers strong performances, with Inde Navarrette shining as she intensifies Nikki’s obsession. Her cries to be loved are jarring and impactful.

Scenes of blood and gore occur, but the real scares come from Bear’s and Nikki’s actions alongside her loss of autonomy. The slow realization and stares really creep you out more than the violence. The audience watches as Nikki suffers physical, emotional, and social ruin because Bear wanted her. I say wanted because he does not love her. He has more of a simple desire for Nikki. The party scene really highlights this; after Nikki stabs herself in the face and everyone scrambles to help her, Bear sits embarrassed, doing nothing to try to care for her until later.

The bad

The movie straddles a couple of lines in the movie that bring it down in some places. The line between what Bear has done to Nikki and what she does to him as a result feels like two types of horror that are battling it out through the movie. Both work fine on their own, but in this movie, they often lack a solid connective tissue from scene to scene. It even feels jumpy at certain points without flowing into each other. Case in point, Sara’s death scene following Nikki’s pleas to be killed.

There is the issue of the supporting cast in the movie. Everyone around Bear and Nikki feels flat or they lack any real role, outside of being victims or witnesses. Even if you just look at them as the intended friends of both of our main characters, they are bad friends. They actively acknowledge that everything happening is strange and out of character for Nikki, and yet they do nothing. This goes as far as to acknowledge that Bear is taking advantage of Nikki if she is indeed in an emotional state.

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As a first-time major feature is concerned, writer and director Curry Barker has made a solid horror movie that leaves an imprint in regards to bodily autonomy and the difference between love and obsession.

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