Obsession Turns One Wish Into Terror

Obsession

★ ★ ★ ★

Obsession is a chilling look at the real-world ramifications of a granted wish that directly affects the autonomy of another person. It’s a film where characters make decisions that are selfish but not intended to be at the expense of others. It forces us to look at what such a fulfilled wish might look like. The results are deliciously captivating and delightfully terrifying. This is one of those rare films where the ending is just as satisfying as the journey to get there, a difficult feat in the horror genre.

Bear (Michael Johnston) is deeply infatuated with Nikki (Inde Navarrette), a girl in his circle of friends. They’re close friends, and though Bear desperately wants to tell her he has deeper feelings for her, he bails out every time he works up the courage to ask her out. As audience members, we have the benefit of seeing Nikki’s signals. If Bear had the courage, she’d probably say yes.

Friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless) round out their foursome friend group. Ian gives Bear bad relationship advice and Sarah clearly has feelings for Bear. As observers, it’s easy for us to realize that what’s about to happen to these characters could have been avoided if they just told each other how they felt. Maybe.

The group routinely hits a bar for trivia night and Nikki tells Bear this might be one of her last because she’s been accepted to tattoo school. I looked it up. It’s a thing.

Before going to trivia night, Bear goes to buy Nikki a gift at a New Age shop. He winds up buying something from the novelty section called a One Wish Willow.

Bear decides that night he’s finally going to ask her out. But when he drives her home, they say goodnight as fear of rejection once again cripples Bear. Angry at himself, he pulls out the Willow and says, “I wish Nikki Freeman loved me more than anyone in the entire world.” He doesn’t really believe it’ll work. He’s shocked to discover it does.

It would seem Bear finally got the girl of his dreams. I’m sure many people have said something similar into the ether about someone they were crushing on. This film dares to show us the horrors of what such a fulfilled wish would bring.

It forces Nikki into a relationship she has no say in. It forces Bear to navigate his new girlfriend’s unhealthy and unwavering infatuation with him. It’s an intensely dark and deeply disturbing descent into horrific chaos. As the film goes on, the dangerous relationship spirals faster and faster out of Bear’s control.

I imagine it’s allegorical to a destructive relationship where one person’s consent and free will are stripped away. The most chilling moments are when Nikki momentarily wakes from the spell in terror. She’s unaware of what she’s doing or how she got there.

What makes this film work so well is the dynamic between the characters. Nikki is dangerously obsessive, but it’s not her fault. She has no say in the matter, trapped in a situation forced upon her against her will. Bear didn’t mean for Nikki to lose her autonomy. He just wanted a normal happily ever after with her.

This film has extremely terrifying moments yet isn’t afraid of impeccably timed humor that cuts just enough tension to get us ready for the next round of madness. While there are certainly plot holes, the story is so well written and the characters so believable that it’s easy to give ourselves over to the film’s madness. As horror films go, it’s damn near perfect.

The film’s tagline is obvious to the story: “Be careful what you wish for.” Let’s take it a step further. If you like someone, ask them out. Don’t crack a willow branch and make a wish. If it works, you deserve the torturous terror that comes your way. If only they put that warning on the One Wish Willow box. Bear would have cracked it anyway.