Writer/Director: Curry Baker
Starring: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette and Andy Richter
‘A Haunting Horror Drama’
Childhood crushes are tragic lovers which seldom last forever. Everyone recalls a bright time when they fell in love with crushes under moonlight. From a personal point-of-view, I’ve learned crushes are dreams that rarely come true. At an early age, I fell in love with a girl with dreams of marriage. A promising young woman, she was a prized possession earning every boy’s affection. She was an attractive girl that left boys in a state of joy rather than misery. It didn’t take long before I became obsessed with a girl that impressed. We shared love for art which didn’t seem to be torn apart. Being a shy wallflower teenager, I didn’t have courage to ask out a girl that was popular. Fearing I would look like a fool, I couldn’t bring myself to ask out a cool girl in school. Due to her friends’ habit to gossip, I was always reluctant to pursue a relationship. Besides, complicating matters was the fact that she didn’t feel love for me. Out of my league, the painful fact is she only viewed me as a colleague. Discovering that she thought of me as nothing more than a friend left me with a broken heart hard to mend. As years went by, the sparks started to fly making my hopes about our relationship high. However, fate caused bonds to deteriorate. Immigration caused bonds with a companion to become lost in translation. When my family decided to immigrate, I was forced to separate from a girl I appreciate. Despite my efforts to reconnect with her on social network media, we lost touch after my family immigrated to Canada. Feeling depressed, I regret the fact I never confessed feelings for a girl with whom I was obsessed. Following end of relationships causing pain, I gave up finding love again. I never had a chance to say goodbye to a girl that vanished from my life in the blink of an eye. Years later, I treasure a girl that taught me childhood crushes rarely last forever.
As someone haunted by a girl that became an object of obsession, I adored “Obsession”. Released in 2026, Curry Baker’s latest film captures childhood crushes. Packed with breathtaking visuals, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s an extraordinary thriller. At the centre of it all is Michael Johnston, who embodies a lover driven by obsession. Although “Obsession” is a riveting thriller, it isn’t a flawless film. It suffers from uneven pacing. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment satisfying fans of the horror genre.
“Obsession” tells the story of a young man that develops romantic obsession. Michael Johnston plays Bear, a shy music store employee with fear. Bear has always had a crush on Nikki (Inde Navarrette), but never confessed feelings. However, Bear’s life changes when he gets his crush to fall in love with him by supernatural power. As Nikki becomes a monster in front of his eyes, Bear questions love for a woman he used to idolize.
Curry Baker is fascinated with the genre of horror. A fantastic indie filmmaker, Baker has made engaging horror movies evoking feelings of terror. With “Obsession”, however, Baker created his first obsessive thriller. It’s the filmmaker’s first attempt capturing obsession causing romantic relationships to face adversity but he succeeds. Evoking Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”, Baker effectively uses low-key lighting capturing barriers obsessive lovers fight. For instance, low-key lighting elevates the confession scene. During this intense scene, Bear struggles confessing feelings for Nikki when she asks him whether he loves her. It reminded me of my experiences struggling expressing feelings towards a popular gir; I appreciated. Low-key lighting is a complicated technique. As Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” suggested, low-key lighting elevates commemorated satires about women. Nevertheless, it works tremendously in this movie. Using breathtaking visuals, Baker captures frightening tensions obsessive lovers are experiencing.
Another admirable aspect of “Obsession” that merits appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, it’s one of the most impressive horror movies you will see this year. Evoking Rob Reiner’s “Misery”, Baker effectively uses production-design to capture bonds between obsessive lovers facing misery. Throughout the movie, Bear’s haunted house showcases his strong relationship with Nikki. For instance, the house setting elevates the bonding scene. During this memorable scene, Bear has an intimate conversation with Nikki showcasing their strong bond together. It brought back fond memories of my strong bond with a girl that shaped my identity. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Rock Burwell’s music contributes to the success of the movie. It gives the movie a haunting atmosphere capturing the heavy burden that obsessive lovers bear. Through stunning production, Baker captures lovers with obsession.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Obsession” is a horror movie about obsession that’s engaging. In Hollywood, most horror movies rarely address the dangers of obsession which is misunderstood. For instance, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” depicted obsessive writers terrorizing families without facing any serious consequences. Thankfully, however, “Obsession” avoids these pitfalls. Evoking Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”, Baker uses silence to capture obsession. For instance, silence elevates the breakup scene. During this unforgettable scene, Nikki experiences an emotional breakdown after she discovers that Bear is leaving her. It reminded me of my grief when I parted ways with a childhood crush I appreciated leaving me emotionally devastated. Silence is a tricky technique. As Celine Song’s “Past Lives” suggested, silence elevates commemorated Korean romantic films. David Fincher’s “The Social Network” proved that silence elevates business films about social network companies. Nevertheless, it works tremendously in this movie. Through a spectacular screenplay, Baker captures obsessive relationships today.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Michael Johnston delivers a star-making performance as Bear. Johnson earned praise for playing teens in TV shows. With “Obsession”, however, he took on his most complex role. It isn’t easy to portray an obsessive lover but he succeeds. Evoking Logan Lerman in Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, Johnston embodies a shy wallflower teenager. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, loneliness and grief of a troubled teen facing tensions. It’s a terrific performance from one of the most talented actors working today.
Inde Navarrette is fantastic as a psychotic woman experiencing broken relationships which are tragic. Recalling Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl”, Navarrette embodies a psychotic woman in relationships that unfurl. As Nikki, Navarrette uses body language to create a powerful portrait of an obsessive woman. Whether she is confessing how much she loves Bear or having a nightmare, Navarrette uses body language to capture burden that women in broken relationships bear. It’s a phenomenal performance from a talented actress.
Despite its extraordinary performances, however, “Obsession” can’t capture hardships faced by lovers that experience obsession. If there’s a minor shortcoming to the movie, it lacks engaging pacing. Baker’s decision to integrate subplots about cats into the movie is bold but hinders the pacing. Due to this faulty technique, scenes focusing on Bear’s grief over losing his beloved cat causing hardship aren’t as engaging as his romantic relationship. As Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” suggested, subplots about dead cats elevate fantasy films. Therefore, “Obsession” can’t quite live up to the high quality of horror movies audiences adore.
Nevertheless, fans of the horror genre will definitely enjoy “Obsession” and so will audiences seeking exhilarating entertainment. A haunting horror drama, it proves that obsession is an emotion that’s worth capturing in Cinema.
A dazzling portrait of dangerous obsession causing relationships between lovers to face destruction, it’s a riveting reminder that stories of obsessive lovers are worth telling in memorable movies deserving appreciation.
As powerful as Bear’s obsession, it has given me the motivation to move on many years after the restrictive barriers of immigration caused me to lost touch with a cherished childhood companion treasuring commemorated memories of a crush that became an object of obsession I will forever regard with affection.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 