Here we go, then: “Obsession.” No, not De Palma’s underrated Hitchcock pastiche from the ’70s, but rather rising young writer/director Curry Barker’s white-knuckle exercise in knee-buckling dread. Make no mistake, Barker’s understandably buzzy genre flick is a potent and pungent plunge into nightmarish supernatural-infatuation. It may have slightly traumatising aftereffects for those unattuned to this kind of core-rattling filmmaking style built on genuine emotionality.
Barker’s work here is masterful. Like a DJ at the decks, he manipulates the dials with expert precision, inducing anxiety while adjusting the levels with surgical skill. The whole film is coated in a nightmarish sheen: inky hues often completely obscure the visage of Inde Navarrette’s increasingly unhinged Nikki, rendering her a mere shadowy shape as she continues to attach herself to the unsuspecting protagonist (Michael Johnston) with barnacle-like clinginess. The viewer suspects, but is never explicitly shown, that the Nikki we knew may now be ‘packed away’ into a limbo-adjacent realm – replaced by obsession Nikki. Anyhow.
Wishes Do Come True
Baron or “Bear” (Johnston) is a man in the grips of young love. The object of his affection? Nikki (Navarrette in a revelatory performance) — a bright budding writer with a penchant for free-spiritedness. Bear is battling with self-doubt concerning his crush. See, the film opens with him mid-rehearsal. From the comfort of a booth of a local diner, he uses devoted friend Sarah (Megan Lawless) as his test dummy. He spouts the prospective lines that’ll hopefully secure him a date with the apple of his adoring eye. Every time he feels he’s mustered the courage to address the tension with Nicky in person, he backpedals in trepidation. That is until he gets his hands on a peculiar talisman that supposedly grants wishes for real.
One evening after a trivia night gathering, he fumbles yet again when the opportunity arises to confess his feelings. So he whips out the wishing stick (procured from a local novelty shoppe), utters aloud what he wants most in the world (Nicky’s unfaltering love), and snaps the trinket as per instructions on the box. Then, the madness begins. Begins via Nicky’s unnervingly sudden reappearance on the stoop of her abode having just bid Bear goodnight after a drawn-out car conversation. From the jump, she has an insatiable need for his company. An uneasy night follows involving impromptu intimacy. The unease escalates to near-intolerable heights as her fixation becomes unnaturally, viciously severe. At first, Bear accepts this newfound adoration. After all, he did wish for it, but then it gets really weird.
Shining a Light on Modern Desperation
This is nightmare-fuel stuff, but also, in a way, tragic. There are flashes of dark humour, courtesy of some oddball side characters and Navarrette’s sensational penchant for vocal acrobatics. But it never completely shakes an underlying sadness. The film highlights the dire lengths some will go for ongoing companionship (even if it’s one-sided or toxic). This is a film that shines the light on modern desperation — the need to be appreciated and accepted across platforms.
There are some incredibly creepy moments dotted throughout “Obsession,” including the eerie advice that arrives via the customer service line that reminds one of the insidious mystery voice behind “The Substance,” as well as a work lunch break sequence with a dark twist. Barker is decidedly film-literate. There are some unsubtle nods to “The Exorcist” (a clear inspiration), as well as scenes where house-party bonhomie is interrupted by satanic behaviour that calls to mind the creative triumphs of “Talk to Me.” At times, the atmosphere is palpably discomfiting — and the result is a captivating feature.
Inde Navarrette is Exceptional
The entire cast is exemplary. However, Navarrette demonstrates a new kind of daring in a part that requires her to behave extremely erratically while retaining a baseline sincerity. The young cast (including Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless) uniformly support Navarrette. Their performances always feel like they’re at the foot of a crevasse, peering into an unknown terror with ice slipping underfoot. There is an oneiric David Robert Mitchell (“It Follows”) quality to the overall vibe here, and the occasional synth flourishes in the score underline the comparison. There’s also highly meticulous shot selection, oftentimes the characters are rendered mere objects in vast dark spaces. It’s a credit again to the actors, who appear to have taken the strong script and made it their own. A fair amount of creative liberty was afforded the cast while they went about inhabiting the nightmarescape, and it shows.
Ultimately though, “Obsession” stands on its own. It is an insidious, well-edited (the effect is never less than jarring) look at the psychology of terror and the dichotomy between innocent desire and forced co-dependency. Strong things on the horizon for its entire cast and crew, one would expect.
“Obsession” is currently in theaters.
