The title on each horror fan’s lips this competition season has been Curry Barker, a part of the sketch comedy duo that is a foul concept and the thoughts behind the viral sensation, “Milk & Serial.” The horror style, particularly, has been proving repeatedly that YouTube is the subsequent frontier for scary motion pictures, steadily serving as a jumping-off level for creatives trying to break into the trade. Pair that with the growth of comedians-turned-horror-filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger, and Barker is smack dab in the course of a Venn diagram for fulfillment. Fortunately, his first studio-backed function, “Obsession,” greater than proves that he is bought the ridiculously twisted items.
“Teen Wolf” star Michael Johnston stars as Baron aka Bear, a shy, insecure, low-level worker at a musical instrument retailer who’s hopelessly in love along with his cute and assured coworker, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). His greatest pal Ian (that is a foul concept co-founder Cooper Tomlinson) discourages Bear from asking her out, figuring out rattling effectively she’s uninterested, however the coronary heart desires what the center desires, and Bear desires the lady of his desires. When he utterly botches his try and shoot his shot, he tries his hand at a $6.99 novelty present known as “One Want Willow” that claims to grant customers one want. Bear, having realized nothing from the numerous tales of curled monkey’s paws, needs that Nikki would love him greater than anybody on the earth. Watch out what you want for, certainly, Bear.
Whereas Nikki’s love for Bear initially seems to be every thing he wished for, that pesky “greater than anybody else on the earth” caveat rapidly distorts into the horrific. Bear’s incapacity to just accept that she’s simply not that into him turns into everybody else’s downside, and the result’s a full-tilt descent into violent madness.
Losers keep shedding in Obsession
In one other film from one other time, Bear could be introduced as a sympathetic “aw, shucks” good man who bought in over his head on the lookout for love. “Obsession,” launched post-#MeToo throughout a time when pathetic incels are demanding government-issued AI robotic girlfriends, well acknowledges that “protagonist” doesn’t equate to “hero.” Bear is a pathetic loser who’s getting every thing he deserves, and the movie revels in torturing him for refusing to take the trace. He lastly will get the romantic consideration he is so desperately wished from Nikki, nevertheless it comes at the price of her more and more obsessive and erratic habits. One thing is instantly unsuitable together with her as soon as he makes the want, however he ignores each potential purple flag for his personal egocentric needs. No quantity of candy, sadboy antics makes you ever really feel sorry for Bear, and it solely provides to the scrumptious anticipation to see what she’s going to do to make Bear remorse ever making that want.
Easy (albeit regarding) behaviors like her incapacity to observe a film sitting subsequent to Bear with out simply watching him escalate into duct-taping the doorways shut to maintain him from leaving her to go to work. With each passing day, Nikki’s mania accelerates past the realm of normalcy, and watching her obsess over Bear turns into so viscerally uncomfortable that you may’t assist however giggle. “Obsession” has a nasty humorousness on the coronary heart of the story, however the actuality of what is going on on with Nikki is extraordinarily darkish. She’s continually “glitching” out mid-moment, with pre-wish Nikki clawing by way of her cursed facsimile, desperately hoping Bear will put her out of her distress.
It is so refreshing to see a film acknowledge who’s really harm by the “pal zone.” (Spoiler alert: It ain’t the entitled manbabies!)
Inde Navarrette is sensational in Obsession
For the reason that premiere of “Obsession” on the 2025 Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition, the star-making flip of Inde Navarrette (“Superman & Lois”) has been one of the vital hyped points of the movie, and as I sat on the opening evening screening of the Overlook Movie Competition, I feared that she would not be capable of reside as much as what I had been promised. Expensive reader, I’ve by no means in my life been happier to be confirmed unsuitable.
Navarrette is a sensation, delivering an astonishing efficiency that may immediately change into a beloved a part of the canon of monstrous femmes. Her capacity to waffle between the manic-pixie-dream-girl-next-door object of Bear’s affection to a strolling, screaming, sleep paralysis demon — typically a number of occasions in the identical sentence — is a sight to behold. The erratic command of her facial elasticity, vocal vary, and full-body dedication to no matter miseries Curry Barker elects to unleash at any given second is nothing wanting a masterclass. For those who appreciated Mia Goth in “Pearl,” you are going to love Inde Navarrette.
To his equal credit score, Michael Johnston is an ideal surrogate for the viewers, persistently reacting with the right degree of “what within the precise hell is going on?!” plastered throughout his face. Fellow co-worker Sarah (Megan Lawless) gives a essential outsider perspective, capable of see the toxicity of this one-sided relationship when Bear is just too wrapped up in all of it to see the forest for the timber. Given the acquainted, well-worn premise on the heart, the movie lives and dies by the dedication of its performances and the nightmarish execution of Barker’s imaginative and prescient.
“Obsession” deserves to succeed in the acclaimed heights of “Weapons,” and Navarrette instructions the identical degree of consideration as Amy Madigan, and I am keen to make use of my One Want Willow to make it occur — unintended effects be damned.
/Movie Overview: 8.5 out of 10
“Obsession” opens in theaters on Could 15, 2026.
