Holy Shit, 'Obsession'
Not a review. Just observations from some Black guy who was late to the party.
It’s about to get real spoilery in this bitch. You’ve been warned.
As a journalist and consultant who spends an absurd amount of time consuming film, music, and television for a living, people are often legitimately surprised when I Kanye shrug and blurt out, “Nope!” to the question, “Have you seen [insert random movie or TV show here]?” But contrary to popular belief, I do touch grass and aspire to have a life too. So no, I regret to inform y’all that I haven’t seen every single Hollywood project known to man.
That said, my most recent indiscretion was the box-office juggernaut Obsession, which flipped a $750k budget into over $440 million globally—a resounding feat for any filmmaker, but especially impressive considering it was written and directed by a guy whose most ambitious project beforehand cost a grand total of $800.
But as of today, I can now proudly declare that I’ve finally seen the light—and Obsession—and am no longer the target of merciless ire and shame in my group chats.
More importantly: holy shit.
Why didn’t anyone warn me about Inde Navarrette’s performance?!
I’ve always been fascinated with the horror classic The Monkey’s Paw, and vividly recall adapting it into a screenplay back in film school. So a movie centered on that theme—be careful what you wish for—will always be a win for me, provided it’s executed well. And one thing Obsession excels at is completely unnerving its audience.
Nikki’s (Navarrette) terrifying descent into chaos—in which she oscillates between fragility and ferocity—becomes the center of gravity around which the rest of the cast orbits. This metamorphosis completely disrupts the dynamics of their friend group, with Sarah (Megan Lawless) suppressing her jealousy in favor of concern, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) struggling to make sense of an entanglement he never signed up for, and Bear (Michael Johnston) downplaying Nikki’s increasingly violent outbursts out of crippling guilt.
It’s the exact type of glorious mess that creates even more…glorious messes.
Literally.
From rogue bodily fluids to Hello Kitty sandwiches, every grotesque flourish reinforces the consequences of tampering with fate.
But Obsession isn’t without its flaws, as I find it incredibly hard to believe that Nikki—who was kind enough to teach Sarah the Headbanger Boogie—indulged in a perfectly sane romance with Bear before talking too much in her sleep and ultimately veering off the rails. I wasn’t particularly fond of his perpetual victim schtick either, as his cowardice felt unearned. Being horrified in a horror movie is the default setting, but I find it hard to feel sorry for someone who willed his worst nightmare into existence.
Being insufferable didn’t help either.
If anything, Sarah and Ian are most deserving of our sympathy for getting dragged kicking and screaming into the tired “crazy girlfriend” trope—which even a billion dollars couldn’t fix. But when the end result is as genuinely fun and disturbing as Obsession is, it’s no surprise this film found its audience—and eventually me.
Misery loves company.
Y’all can get off my back now!
‘Obsession’ is now available on Peacock.