Nikki: “You wished for this.”
If someone was told that a movie had earned almost 110 million in just over two weeks at the box office, most people would just shrug it off and say that isn’t all that special. . . but with this film being made for somewhere between 750,000 and 1 million dollars, that makes it a whole different thing. Utterly impressive in this day and age, the psychological horror film Obsession (released back at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025), written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker, is taking the cinema world by storm.
Aptly titled, the rather timid, lonely, and lackluster Baron ‘Bear’ Bailey (Michael Johnston) is rather infatuated with coworker and longtime friend Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette). Working in the same music store along with co-friends Ian (a boisterous Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah Harper (Megan Lawless) – whose father Carter (Andy Richter – yes Conan O’Brien’s longtime sidekick) runs the store, it has become a sort of frustrating groundhog’s day for the man – who has long fretted over making his feelings known to the girl.
Unbeknownst to him, Sarah has secretly harbored her own crush for him, which itself has been hidden for some time. In a warped twist of fate, Bear randomly falls upon an eighties gimmick gift called a ‘One Wish Willow’, which supposedly offers the breaker of the wood one wish of their choice.
Originally planning on gifting it to his crush, he instead panics after another failed attempt to relay his feelings while driving her home one night. As soon as she leaves the vehicle, he wishes for her to love him more than anyone else in the world. Like a spell has been cast, she almost immediately returns to his car, looking to spend more time with him.
Soon attached to his hip, they become an intense couple, much to the shock and perhaps chagrin of their work friends. Though all doesn’t seem right with Nikki, she starts to lie, behave erratically, and become extra clingy. With onlookers thinking that Bear might be taking advantage of her after a family illness, or that she might not be in the right frame of mind for a serious relationship, one thing is for sure, Nikki doesn’t even seem like the same person.
As things escalate and Nikki becomes more obsessive of her man than Bear ever was of her, could his wish actually have come true? If so, might it have been worded a little hastily and improperly? Is there any chance in a cancellation clause or rewording addendum? If not, is the real Nikki inside, and, if so, what can be done?
Darkly shot, cinematographer Taylor Clemons frequently shades Inde Navarrette’s expressive visage in near black. By way of backlighting and other trickery, it is tonally fitting for the character, as her portrayal of Nikki becomes an utterly obsessive, haunting two dimensional raw unfiltered character that is only interested in her man rather than her own individuality (look for how she changes her appearance throughout to try and please him). Navarrette has said that some of her inspiration came from Mia Goth in Pearl, Toni Collette in Hereditary, as well as Megan Fox in Jennifer’s Body. Progressively leading down a slippery slope, Michael Johnston’s already meek portrayal becomes even more submissive, a man with even less answers and rewards after making his wish.
A stark warning that too much love isn’t necessarily a good thing and that romance is a completely different thing altogether, Obsession is an impressive horror venture – especially considering its bare bones budget. With a tense, slow burner pace featuring longer takes, limited cuts, brief moments of violence, awkward humour, and much more, it also shows that solid acting and an intriguing story are of the utmost importance for a movie – adding this one to the ever growing recent list of successes in this horror renaissance. Navarrette also deserves one last mention as her performance is unbelievably enthralling – totally mesmerizing in every single scene. So, get obsessed with this low budget horror movie, though it might not give you everything that you wish for.