Talking 'Bout My Girl

In addition to already being the name of a dozen or so movies, Obsession is a horrendously dull film title. It conjures up images of dated romantic thrillers or bargain basement serial killer flicks. This is a long-winded way of saying this darkly humorous relationship nightmare deserves a better name, as it's anything but stale.

Barron "Bear" Bailey (Michael Johnston), Nikki (Inde Navarrette), Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless) are longtime friends and work colleagues. Bear has long harboured feelings for Nikki and is determined to confess his love, despite warnings from Ian to bide his time and the fact Sarah might be the one who is actually interested in a romantic relationship. After chickening out of an ideal opportunity to tell Nikki how he feels he uses a cheap novelty collectible called a "One Wish Willow" to wish his crush was hopelessly in love with him. Turns out the tacky toy is legit and ties him into a "The Substance" style deal with the devil where Nikki is indeed in love with him but proves to be anything but the ideal life partner.

As you can probably guess from the synopsis, this is a movie that deals with the worst facets of the worst relationships. Lying, manipulation, extreme dependency, threats and isolation all make an appearance. The film isn't exactly shining new light on abusive relationships but it dials everything to a visceral extreme and the tension of what might come next is constant. Writer/director Curry Barker got his start doing comedy sketches on YouTube and he uses some wicked humour to manage the atmosphere but this is predominantly a horror movie. And it does get scary.

A combination of great performance and brilliantly ominous direction blend together to make a beautiful young woman one of the most frightening things you'll see on screen this year. Nikki often appears in silhouette, her features shrouded in shadow, or just off centre in the background of a shot. Navarette will hold a crooked smile for far too long or move in uncanny ways, skulking about the room in a manner the human body is perfectly capable of doing but no normal person ever would. Soft cooing is flipped to high pitch squealing or rage filled bellows at the drop of a hat and moments of violence are sudden and unpredictable. It is a chilling performance that cuts all the closer to the bone since Nikki is actually the victim of the story, not just the monster.

Her beleaguered boyfriend isn't exactly a monster either, but he's certainly no hero. He doesn't make the wish out of malice but Nikki ends up paying the price for his inability to express himself and it doesn't seem she has done much to fuel his infatuation. He's the kind of guy who labels his passiveness as niceness and his actions as things unfold are questionable to say the least. A gentle and layered performance from Johnston keeps Bear relatable enough not to come across as an outright villain, which is essential as the film simply wouldn't work if he was too detestable.

Everyone really is on top of their game in Obsession, lifting well worn ideas of cursed wishes and abusive relationships to new heights and making them somehow feel fresh in 2026. In particular, the director and leading lady throw down a couple of very exciting, and blood drenched, calling cards. It's just a pity about that name.

8 cat sandwiches out of 10.

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