Tags:
Film: Obsession
Year: 2025
Director: Curry Barker
Writer: Curry Barker
Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette and Cooper Tomlinson
Review:
This is a film that I was intrigued to check out. Now I don’t watch trailers. Seeing that this was a Blumhouse film made me pause. This is my introduction to Curry Barker. I knew the buzz for his film on YouTube, Milk & Serial. I haven’t seen it yet, but it made end of year lists. I was able to catch this for an early showing at the Gateway Film Center, thanks to Focus, Fright Club Podcast and Nightmares Film Festival. This is a Voyage through the FiVes as well as for my 2026 horror list due to its wide release.
Synopsis: after breaking the mysterious ‘One Wish Willow’ to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
For this film, we’re following Baron (Michael Johnston). He goes by the nickname of Bear. We see him pouring his heart out to a girl and this turns out to be preparing him. Watching on is his best friend, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson). He is embarrassed by things that Bear said and tells him not to say things. The girl he’s been wanting to pour his heart out to is Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette). This trio works at a music store.
Bear then comes home to make a grisly discovery. His cat got into food and medication, killing it. It takes him time to clean everything up and he’s exhausted by the end. Bear is going to just go to sleep when he gets a phone call. It is Nikki. She is asking if he’s coming to trivia and he declines. She states that she has something important to say, which excites him. It isn’t what he thinks though. She is putting in her two weeks. This pushes him to come out that night.
Before they got off the phone, Bear heard her drop her necklace into a drain. He gets the idea of going to a shop that sells items like this. While looking at the selection of crystals, something else catches his eye. There’s an item that is called ‘One Wish Willow’. Something that hasn’t been brought up is that this starts off with an infomercial about this item. It is played for comedy but sets the stage. Bear ends up buying one to give to Nikki.
They go to trivia and Bear is trying to find the right moment to confess his feelings and ask if she feels the same. Ian doesn’t want him to do it here as it could ruin trivia night. Things align where Nikki wants to go home and Bear is willing to drive her. This gets to be a bit uncomfortable though as she is direct with him, asking if he likes her. He hides his feelings and laughs it off. In a desperate move, he makes his wish for her to love him more than anyone on the planet. He then snaps the willow.
Nikki comes back out to the car. She’s acting a bit weird. It starts to freak Bear out. She is able to convince him that her father, who he thought she was estranged from, is dying of cancer and she doesn’t want to be alone. This then spirals into them starting a relationship. Another co-worker, Sarah (Megan Lawless), thinks that she’s using him. It sounds like Nikki told her previously that she saw Bear as a brother. Ian thinks that Bear is taking advantage of the situation. There’s much more to it, as the odd things that Nikki does get worse and her obsession shows its depth.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that these went places that I wasn’t expecting. We are seeing a common story that we’ve seen before. This is a ‘be careful what you wish for’ narrative. Ahead of seeing this, the hosts of Fright Club brought up how it falls into the ‘curio’ horror subgenre with Bear buying this ‘One Wish Willow’ from that type of store. There is more to this though that develops through our two leads, which I appreciated.
Let’s then start with our lead character, Bear. He is a relatable but flawed character who is infatuated with an idea of Nikki. Another person in attendance of the screening brought up that instead of being vulnerable, he hides and self-pities, eventually emerging as the story's true villain due to his selfish wish. Johnston delivers a compelling performance that effectively provokes the audience as the plot unfolds.
I do then want to look at the other lead, Nikki. First, I need to give credit to Navarrette for her portrayal. Her being able to shift from how she acts so quickly is great. She can go from loving to terrifying at the drop of a dime and it is scary. I’m not entirely sure how much of her creepy movements were her or tricks of the camera, either way it is effective. It got under my skin. I’m then going to tread lightly to not spoil. There are little things that are said by Nikki to Bear that help explain what truly happened with this wish. That adds to the horror as well.
Where I then go would be the idea of codependent relationships. Something interesting is the different perspectives on it. Nikki is brainwashed by the wish and acts erratic. Bear knows what happened and how he is handling it is poor. What he needs to do to end this is not something he’s prepared to do. Ian thinks that Bear is using her. Sarah thinks that Nikki is using him. These outsiders just going off what they see is intriguing, because this is what people do when observing those around them. I did appreciate the commentary on this relevant subject.
Other themes to bring up that are explored would be the violence of romantic objectification. Nikki does things to ensure that Bear doesn’t leave her. He has erased her autonomy though. This does an interesting thing by showing the myth of the ‘nice guy’. He’s also fragile in things that are said, even after he knows that she isn’t herself. How this looks at toxic relationships is quite intriguing as well.
Let’s then shift over to discuss the rest of the acting performances. Navarrette does an excellent job and I think Johnston is good as well. I do like Tomlinson as his friend who flirts with toxic masculinity. There is an interesting element that comes to light about him in all this. Lawless is solid in her role. Early on, Nikki reveals that she has a crush on Bear. The deeper we get into this, he starts to feel the same toward her, but that’s after he has Nikki. This re-enforces that he’s not as nice as we think. Andy Richter and the rest of the cast do round this out for what is needed.
All that is left then would be filmmaking aspects. This is well-made. What I love is the use of the full frame. There are things that happen in the background that are creepy. Another aspect is the use of shadows. That added to the atmosphere. The cinematography and framing are great. As for the effects, this looks to be mostly done practically. If there is CGI, it is used to enhance. This film is brutal and I appreciated that. What they do with the sound design is another perk in adding to the terror. The music also fits what was needed.
In conclusion, this succeeds by taking a familiar "be careful what you wish for" concept and using it to deliver intriguing commentary on codependent relationships, romantic objectification, and the myth of the "nice guy". Johnston is compelling as Bear, the infatuated and flawed protagonist who ultimately emerges as the story's true villain due to his selfish wish. Matching this is Navarrette's terrifying performance as Nikki, praised for her ability to shift from loving to frightening. The film's overall quality is high, utilizing great cinematography, effective use of the full frame and shadows to enhance the atmosphere, and mostly practical effects for a brutal horror experience that is further elevated by strong sound design.
My Rating: 9 out of 10