REVIEW:
Obsession is a movie that manages to take a very simple story and turn it into something incredibly deep, scary, and compelling. The simple story is a “be careful what you wish for,” scenario. It’s been done again and again, in cautionary spooky short stories, from episodes of The Tales from the Crypt to Black Mirror to even the Simpsons. But it isn’t often used for movies, because it seems like too short of an idea. Somebody wishes for something, they get it, at first things are great, and then they go horribly wrong in unexpected and unpredictable ways. It’s a great idea, but most people don’t see the potential for how to stretch it or make it fit the length of a nearly two hour movie. With Obsession, they figured it out.
The movie is about Bear and Nikki. Bear (a nickname for the character Baron,) works at a music store with Nikki. And he’s in love with her. The problem is, she doesn’t seem to share the same feelings. And Bear is not willing to take the chance to find out. There are plenty of opportunities for Bear to step up and ask her out or tell her how he feels. At one point, Nikki even tells him to admit it if he has feelings for her, and Bear doesn’t. Instead, he uses something called a “One Wish Willow,” that he picks up at a thrift store, makes a wish, and snaps the willow branch. Then he watches as his wish works.
What happens next is that Nikki does indeed fall in love with Bear. But it’s more than just love. it’s obsession. She can’t take her eyes off him. And she also can’t stop acting crazy. That includes watching him while he’s sleeping in bed, or shouting “Stay,” when he tries to get up from the bed to use the bathroom. At one point, she duct tapes his door shut so that he can’t easily leave.
Things get taken up a notch in the second half of the movie, starting with a party, where not only Bear, but now all his friends get to witness Nikki in this new state of mind. Pretty soon, things turn very dark and grisly. Bear tries a number of things to get the wish taken back or reversed, but nothing seems to work out. We learn a little more about the One Wish Willow and also a little bit more about Nikki and what’s going on with her. It’s all very creepy, clever, and scary. And it makes for a very intriguing film.