Storybook Love? 'Obsession' Will Make You Think Twice About It

Baron, otherwise known as Bear (Michael Johnston), is trying to muster the nerve to tell his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) that he has feelings for her. The opening moments of Curry Barker’s second feature, “Obsession,” show him practicing (and flubbing) his speech, much to the annoyance of his best friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson). Bear can tell her, just not at the weekly trivia night (for some reason). Don’t intrude on trivia night! Things don’t exactly go to plan. Bear doesn’t exactly ooze charisma, but seems to have a genuine connection to Nikki. She’s been there through his hardest times and is just a radiant person to be around. Great base!

Well, things don’t go according to plan, and the words get stuck like a glob of peanut butter. Not to mention, Bear gets her a gift and doesn’t give it to her. But it’s a gag gift – a “One Wish Willow” that, for the grand ole price of $6.99, will grant you one desire. In a fit of desperation, our nervous protagonist closes his eyes and wishes his beloved loved him more than anyone in the whole world. Did it work? Well, it doesn’t seem so at first, but Nikki sure is acting weird. The first hint (thanks to Taylor Clemons’s creatively unnerving cinematography) is her standing on her porch, basked in darkness.

The saying “be careful what you wish for” is a common go-to lesson for horror films. It can always bank on people not realizing there’s a catch to every fulfilled out-of-thin-air dream. Curry has said he drew inspiration from “The Monkey’s Paw” segment from “The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror II” episode. In it, the characters’ wishes always backfired in some way, shape, or form. The writer/director’s singular vision does so with horror devices that flow from the creepy to downright blunt-force trauma. But the sometimes-gory affair doesn’t necessarily hand over the steering wheel to the film’s shocking imagery. Curry’s magic trick is infusing the story with the clash of questions about autonomy, magical coercion, and desire. It’s one thing to get what you want, but it’s another when it possibly cancels out someone’s free will.

At first, Bear and Nikki feel like the quintessential couple, only held back by unspoken words. They are inseparable, which is cute at first. However, small things in Nikki’s behavior start to become scary. There’s a moment where she takes the “I love to watch you sleep” theme to something more sinister. Ian and mutual friend Sarah (Megan Lawless) can’t ignore that something is off with this sudden relationship. It gets to the point where Bear can no longer reside in lover la-la land.

One of the major selling points of “Obsession” is the acting of Johnson and Navarrette. With Bear, Johnson maintains a well-meaning aloofness. He portrays the giddiness of having a crush with reciprocated feelings and the tightrope walk of wondering if it’s all real. Barker adds a layer to the story where the union is no longer a cutesy, laughing manner. Within that, questions arise about how culpable Bear is for the way things are unraveling. Low self-worth is a dangerous addition to a volatile formula.

Navarrette takes Nikki’s turn and runs with it, being the catalyst of “Obsession’s creepiest and sometimes comedic scenes. The actress can embody a sweet girlfriend and a furious outburst of energy — desperately trying to keep Bear’s attention at the drop of a hat. It’s the quiet moment where Navarrette brings out something quite sad in Nikki. It’s one of the differentiating factors of “Obsession”, just being a quasi-possession film.

Much like the “Smile” films, composer Rock Burwell uses off-key synths and sounds to make the viewer feel as if they walked through a disorienting portal. It’s one thing to have a horror film that works on a visceral, optical level. Curry matches it with an emotional edge, even if it’s a trope we’re all familiar with. Each element one-ups the other until they reach a cataclysmic finale so bleak that the Globe Theater would be proud. Ain’t love grand?