There are two ways of looking at the movie Obsession. One is a glorification of the loss of female autonomy. The other is a damning critique of passive toxic masculinity. Both are completely valid, when examining the film. At the same time the dichotomy of the film and what all it possesses makes it difficult to assess the film from a morally good standing. At its core the plot of the film is about a man who removes a woman’s autonomy. Yet in the same breath, you have to admit that it is a horror film, and as such is an example of how that is a bad thing.
Obsession is about a young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) who states that he is in love with one of his best friends Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Bear ends up finding something called a One Wish Willow at a New Age store. The One Wish Willow allows the user to make any wish, no matter how grand or small after removing a Willow piece from the box and snapping it in half. Bear makes a wish that Nikki would love him more than anyone else on the face of the planet.
From the moment he does this, Nikki loses all autonomy. There are small moments throughout the film, where the real Nikki, who does not love Bear in that way- breaks through and begs for Bear to undo his wish somehow. To help her be free from this wish that he has trapped them both in. Because until one of them dies, Nikki will be forced to live out this wish. Which at first may seem harmless, but ends up becoming a disastrous and horrific bloody affair.
The whole idea of the wish essentially becomes a monkey paw situation. Where the thing that you thought you wanted becomes something that is horrific and deadly after you receive it. Because Nikki will go to any lengths to make sure that her love for Bear is reciprocated. Even removing people who she believes to be a threat to their relationship.
As the film plays out, it moves from a deep, psychological horror, into a bloody and grotesque story. One filled with suicide attempts, mutilation, body disfigurement, animal cruelty, and gruesome murder. The film uses nearly every tool in the horror film toolbox to creep you the fuck out. And along the way, shows that sometimes the “good guy” isn’t actually the good guy.
There are multiple times where Bear is faced with the fact that what is happening to Nikki, as she is becoming more and more obsessed with him is not her own doing. And that she does not want to be part of it and would rather die. Yet instead of doing anything to stop it. Bear only thinks of himself up until the very last moment of the film, at which point only one person is left standing. Surrounded by a massacre of blood and extreme horrors that no decent person should be subjected to.
In my initial response to the film, I said that I give it five out of five stars. And after reflecting on the film a lot, I don’t know that I want to change that. Are there aspects of this film that maybe could be considered problematic, absolutely. Because in some ways it does lean into rape culture that is prevalent in our society. But at the same time, it is taking those things, putting a horror lens on it and saying to these monsters who are part of all of that this is what you fucking get. Examining the destruction and the horrors that are inherent in the toxic masculinity that is prevalent in our society.
I could go back-and-forth all day on how this film is good on the one hand and bad on the other. But at its core, it is a piece of art that is asking you to have that question or that conversation. The film works heavily to show that Bear is a problematic “protagonist.” That he is never once doing what is right. And that he constantly falls into the traps of toxic masculinity. Even when it’s subtle. Even when there are moments where you could think maybe he’s going to redeem himself. He doesn’t, he’s selfish and only thinks about himself up until the last scene of the film.
The best art is the art that makes you walk away thinking about it long after you’ve experienced it. It is my opinion that Obsession fits that. It is something that invites a conversation. It is something that can be dissected in a million different ways. It is something that uses the crafts inherent in what it is, to examine deeper things. For that reason, I feel that it is a good film. And I think it is something that we should discuss openly. Because at the end of the day, the issues the film presents will never go away if we hide them in the shadows. If we continue to pretend that every “good guy” is actually a good guy and we don’t acknowledge the monsters that are around us. We are all doomed to lose all of our autonomy.
Rating: 5/5
Obsession is now playing in theaters.
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