“I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone in the fucking world.” — Bear
Tales of wishes turning into nightmares are part of world folklore from the Djinn to the fairytale, mythology, and to the point of reference many go to; The Monkey’s Paw from 1902 by W.W. Jacobs. King Midas wished that everything he touched turned to gold. What the greedy king didn’t factor in was he could neither eat nor drink turning his wish into a curse. Writer/director Curry Barker’s Obsession deals with another self-serving man. Bear (Michael Johnston) a seemingly “nice guy” has been in love with Nikki (Inde Navarrette) since their school days. As Obsession opens Bear is rehearsing telling Nikki he loves her with his friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) giving him advice. The sincere words of adoration start with Nikki at the centre but move on to the things Nikki has done for Bear; making him feel welcome when he first moved to the town, spending many hours consoling him and keeping him company while his grandmother was dying. Given Nikki’s kindness toward Bear, it seems reasonable (to Bear) to wonder if she might think of him as a potential boyfriend.
Bear doesn’t seem to have much going on in his life. He’s living at his grandmother’s house which he hasn’t redecorated since her death. There’s a vague sense he might harbour ambitions of being a musician, but he’s stuck in a retail job at a music store. He comes home one evening to find his cat, Sandy, has overdosed on oxycontin left over from his grandmother’s illness. He’s alone and the lively and charming Nikki could be what rescues him. However, Nikki has quit her job at the music store where he works along with Ian and the owner’s daughter Sarah (Megan Lawless). Nikki is serious about writing and is taking the chance to get on with her dream. It’s up to Bear to tell her how he feels before she’s gone from his life.
Bear is terrified of rejection and would prefer saying nothing to Nikki rejecting him. When he has the opportunity with Nikki asking him if he likes her he demurs. Instead, Bear uses what appears to be a novelty collectable from a local magic store, the One Wish Willow, to make the wish that Nikki love him. It works but certainly not how he expects it to as Nikki becomes two people; the Nikki he once knew who occasionally becomes distinct from the new adoring Nikki. The new Nikki is absolutely consumed by her feelings for Bear, and to say she begins acting in an unhinged manner is an understatement. She’s a nightmare of recriminations, dependence, and devotion that is beyond anything Bear could have imagined.
Curry Barker’s feature length debut is grounded in the particular horror that although Bear may be suffering from his wish coming true, it is nothing compared to what Nikki is going through having lost all of her autonomy and being a passenger in her own body. New Nikki is unhinged, plunging into violent hysteria when she’s afraid that Bear will leave her alone even to go to work. Bear refuses to contemplate that the Nikki he is with is his own creation – that his desire was monstrous and when he experiences the absolute madness of the tormented Nikki he still believes that somehow it is Nikki who is “going through something.”
Barker’s film is uncomfortably funny and filled with left-field set pieces that will have the audience gasping. Obsession is violent, perverse, and entertaining in its absolute nastiness. The multiple “returns” of Sandy the cat elicit both laughter and shock; laughter and shock being the film’s primary strengths. Yet, beyond the more obvious mechanisms keeping the audience entertained is that deep-seated discomfort about how easily Bear took to new Nikki when she was a perfect girlfriend and how he’s never particularly concerned with what he’s done to her until it becomes clear that Nikki is out of control. In a small moment of clarity Nikki’s consciousness is able to get through new Nikki’s persona and she asks that Bear kill her. His reaction isn’t to suddenly realise that he’s trapped someone in a particular hell. Instead, he demands, “Is it really so bad to be with me?”
The meanness of Obsession is smart and cleverly works as social commentary as it features Bear as an avatar of the increasing amount of cowardly and grasping men who believe that they’re owed the romantic attention of women. The audience watches Bear’s life spin out of control, but Curry Barker doesn’t want anyone to identify with him. “This is all your fault!” Nikki screams and there is no way to argue that it isn’t.
Inde Navarrette is an absolute revelation as Nikki (both versions) delivering a one-of-a-kind performance that’s riveting and wholly frightening. It’s not hyperbole to say Navarrette steals the film entirely making Bear appear exactly what he is. Michael Johnston’s presence is also pitched perfectly as Bear; a guy no one could be offended by on the surface, but he is a man who is self-involved and weaponises his “helplessness” in the face of the conditions he created.
Obsession is a vivid and unforgettable experience that reaches far deeper than it seems to at first. Curry Barker has made a horror movie that delves into the rot at the heart of some men and their expectations that because they want something they can have it and any cost – even if that something is a human being. Obsession leaves the audience with the bitter realisation that somewhere somebody is snapping a metaphorical One Wish Willow hoping that the girl of their dreams understands that really, they’re the nice guy. Who really is the deranged one?
Director: Curry Barker
Cast: Inde Navarrette, Michael Johnston, Cooper Tomlinson
Writer: Curry Barker
Cinematographer: Taylor Clemons
Editor: Curry Barker