Obsession is the kind of movie that ends with a whole theater sitting in stunned silence — and then everyone immediately turns to each other to ask, what did we just watch? It’s the type of film that REQUIRES discussion afterward. Requires! I planned to write this right after watching Obsession by YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker, because my wife and I were so blown away. But it’s better to write about it now — I’ve had time to sit with it and tell my filmmaking friends about it, and man, it holds up. It is a damn good, solid film. Quick heads-up: there are a couple of spoilers ahead, so don’t keep reading if you haven’t seen it yet. We dig into it on episode 244 of Filmmaker Commentary in the “What We’ve Been Watching” segment (listen here).
These days I watch most of my films with my sister, my wife, or one of my sons (if it’s rated R). If it’s PG-13 or under, I can watch with the younger kids in the family. This is a Rated R day — June 6th, which just so happens to be my wife’s and my 17th anniversary. Our daughter’s birthday falls on the same day; not planned, she just shows up on this earth on our anniversary. SMH. We eat dinner with her earlier, drop her off at her grandma’s house, and head to the Cinemark. We normally try to catch movies during the week at a matinee, but today is the day. We roll in 15 minutes late — too late to grab a drink or popcorn, the line is that long — scurry into the theater, and the lights dim the second we sit down. Perfect timing.
Based on the trailers, I expect a typical horror film. But here’s some family exposition first. Two weeks before this date, the movie was available online somewhere, and my oldest son and my wife start watching it. My wife falls asleep and leaves him and his younger brother to finish it — he’s about to turn 18, and the younger one is about to turn 13. I’m out of town working on a media project. Afterward, my son texts me the crying emoji. I’m dying laughing. “That bad?” I ask. “Yeah, that bad. And Mom’s asleep.” Fast forward to June 6th, a room full of people gasping at the girlfriend walking backward and pissing herself. I turn to my wife and say, “You let the boys watch this — holy crap!” She says, “Oops.”
The film keeps rolling with memorable quotes and disturbing scenes that won’t leave your brain anytime soon. It feels like a classic unfolding right in front of you, and it’s so exciting to experience that with a packed house. My favorite moment so far is “No, no, no, no — don’t DO that!”, along with the scene where the girlfriend drags a girl away from her boyfriend by pulling the seat she’s sitting in. And that backward walk — it isn’t special on its own, but it’s how abruptly she does it, paired with the sound design, that wrecks you. The boyfriend is scared. The audience is scared. Holy crap.
The film touches on toxic relationships, free will, responsibility, death, suicide, and the ache of being wanted and needed. You feel all of it in that seat-dragging moment — the girlfriend pulling another girl away from her boyfriend isn’t random violence, it’s possession, the wish curdling into control right in front of you. That’s what makes the film great: it holds up a mirror to ourselves and to society and shows us we’re capable of being a monster even when our intentions are good or misguided. Wanting to be wanted is the most human thing there is. The film just asks what happens when you actually get to make that wish come true.
This is not a typical horror film. I do think they give away too much in the trailer, though they probably had to in order to get people into seats. For his next film, Curry Barker will have a solid enough reputation to draw a crowd on his name alone — and he can afford to be more ambitious with the marketing.
I’m thinking about putting this on my top 10 horror films list. I haven’t seen a ton of horror, but I’ve seen enough to have a list. Here’s what I’ve got so far: It Follows, Hereditary, Talk to Me, The Others, Scream, Get Out, Weapons, Child’s Play 2, Misery, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. I think this movie belongs on the top 10 because it subverts expectations — it takes the “make a wish” trope and runs with it. It’s a film that is legitimately scary and stays with you.
Put Obsession at the top of your must-see-in-theaters list before it’s too late. Trust me — I wish more people would see it.
