THE STORY – When a hopeless romantic makes a wish that his long-time crush will fall in love with him, a sinister enchantment ensues.
THE CAST – Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, & Megan Lawless
THE TEAM – Curry Barker (Director & Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 108 Minutes
We all know that one couple that is always sucking on each other’s faces and can’t stand to be apart. Well, if you think they’re bad, just wait until you see the crazy lengths that love takes one partner in Curry Barker’s creepy feature directorial debut “Obsession.” The desire to be loved is a universal human need, but it leads to freaky and sinister consequences for Michael Johnston’s character and plenty of wild moments for our viewing pleasure. In particular, Inde Navarrette delivers the most insane performance you’ll see all year, and it’s an absolute blast to witness.
Bear (Johnston) is a shy, sweet guy who desperately wants to profess his love to his childhood friend Nikki (Navarrette), but he can get a bit over the top with his feelings. It’s a delicate situation he has to navigate — either he’ll get the girl of his dreams, or their friendship will go up in flames and things will get very awkward for him, Nikki, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), and Sarah (Megan Lawless) at work. On top of this stress, poor baby Bear learns that his cat has died after getting into a bottle of pills.
Because he’s unable to tell her how he feels, and he’s not sure if she’ll even reciprocate his feelings, there’s only one option for him to turn to: He makes a wish on a toy that claims to make people’s dreams come true. Sure enough, after he wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world, she starts acting weird and entices him to spend the night with her. As things progress between them that night, she can barely keep her hands off of him, and Bear is practically in heaven. Well, until she occasionally screams bloody murder when her real self is given a moment to emerge from the spell she’s under (very reminiscent of “Get Out” when flashes awaken people’s trapped souls).
It’s cute to see this couple’s love flourish, but this is anything but a rom-com. In fact, Barker does everything he can to make this an unforgettable viewing experience. Because Nikki loves Bear more than anyone else in the world, those feelings drive her to do some insane things. That includes watching him when he sleeps, putting herself in between him and any other woman in his sight, and waiting all day in one spot with the widest grin on her face until he returns from work (and not taking any bathroom breaks). What makes it all better is Navarrette’s totally committed and bonkers performance. When she cries after him, she wails for the whole town to hear. When she stares and smiles at him, it’s as if she’s under the “Smile” curse, and it’s equally as unnerving. Navarrette is brilliant, keeps you on your toes the whole time, and makes you excited to see what other insane things she’s going to do. Certain moments are made even better with the way cinematographer Taylor Clemons captures Nikki, oftentimes in dark settings where her face is hidden and we can only hear her sweet but frightening voice.
It’s a treat watching Johnston play against Navarrette and attempt to navigate the wild shenanigans she pulls in every scene. His fear grows more palpable as her love drives her to insanity, making his performance all the more entertaining. His eyes and facial expressions say it all when he takes in Nikki’s strange body movements, when her expressions of love are far beyond any acceptable means, and when she’s driven to do unspeakable acts when she fears she’s losing him. A party scene is another great breeding ground for seeing everyone’s reactions to Nikki’s odd behaviors.
Some of the shots Barker has in this film are particularly spooky, like an over-the-shoulder one of Nikki creepily staring at Bear while at work. Horror fans looking for big jump scares won’t find a whole lot in this film, but there are plenty of moments that will encourage gasps, including a few unfortunate situations with Bear’s deceased cat. Barker could have elevated “Obsession” even more by diving into Nikki’s “sunken” soul, which we get snippets of at times, and they never fail to send shivers down our spine. Overall, there’s a lot that could have been explored with Nikki’s character, including her writing career, her strained relationship with her father, and her relationships with Sarah and Ian, but most of that is handled on a surface level.
Overall, “Obsession” turns the volume up on impassioned romances with some incredibly committed performances from stars Johnston and Navarrette, and the wild scenarios they have to navigate. This is a film that demands to be seen with an audience to experience some high-energy creeps, chills, and thrills. Even though Barker had room to explore more in this film, this is an exciting directorial debut that has us eager to see more from him in this genre.
