PopHorror Let's Get Scared
A couple months ago Obsession wasn’t even on my radar. I found out about from a friend who was excited about it. I pretty much avoided trailers, wanting to be surprised as much as possible. I was a little worried I would be disappointed with Obsession, as the critical consensus has been extremely positive and I was worried it had been over hyped. I’m happy to report that my worries were unwarranted. Obsession is officially my favorite film of the year.
Read on to find out why.
Synopsis
After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Obsession was written and directed by Curry Barker (Milk and Serial). The film stars Michael Johnston (Slash), Inde Navarrette (Trap House), Cooper Tomlinson (Milk and Serial), Megan Lawless (Killer Rental), and Andy Richter (Conan O’Brien)
I really wasn’t expecting to love Obsession as much as I do. It takes a simple premise and executes it extremely well. You’re never quite sure what’s coming next, ratcheting up the tension to almost unbearable levels. The film uses body language, movements, and facial expressions to unsettling effect. Even when there isn’t much happening, there is a general feeling that something isn’t right. Every moment of Obsession I was on edge, expecting something fucked up to happen, and when it did, it was genuinely shocking. The film takes its time setting up the relationship and story and gradually amping things up until it reaches its insanely bleak ending.
While all of this is well and good, none of it matters if it doesn’t have solid performances to back it up. Luckily the cast is excellent. Inde Navarrette plays Nikki, the object of Baron’s desire and the target of his wish. She starts out your average girl but after the wish, things change and she becomes obsessed and unhinged. Navarrette does a wonderful job at using her facial expressions and the way she moves to be unsettling. Even when she was just standing around doing nothing, I felt uneasy.
Michael Johnston plays Baron, or Bear as he’s affectionately called by his friends. He’s the one who sets everything in motion. Johnston does a great job at making Bear relatable at the start. Who hasn’t had a unrequited crush? As the film goes on and things escalate, you start to question Bear’s actions and his likability becomes a little murky, which Johnston sells well. His reactions to what’s happening with Nikki really help sell Navarrette’s performance even more.
In the supporting cast the high point was Megan Lawless who plays Sarah, who has an unrequited crush on Bear. I found her character extremely likable and really charming and loved Lawless’s performance as she took what could have been your basic side character and made her so memorable.
Final Thoughts
Obsession is a film that lives up to the hype. It’s tense, unsettling,v disturbing and awkwardly funny. The cast does a wonderful job with Inde Navarrette being the standout. Highly recommended.
