One Wish, One Love, and No Refunds: A Love Letter to ‘Obsession’
From wishbones to wishing wells, most can relate to the quiet desperation of hoping for one’s love to be reciprocated. When Bear breaks a nineties novelty “One Wish Willow” branch in an absentminded attempt to make his crush Nikki fall in love with him, Curry Barker’s Obsession warps that desire into a fatal attraction.
The painfully shy Bear (Micheal Johnston) just cannot muster up the courage to ask his friend and longtime crush Nikki (Inde Navarette) out on a date. Drawn to the souvenir willow branch in a metaphysical store, he snaps it on a whim, wishing for returned affection. To his surprise the wish works, though he soon realizes that there is more than what meets the eye with Nikki’s sudden change of heart.
I had the distinct pleasure of viewing Obsession as a part of the 43rd annual Miami Film Festivals lineup.
Navarette’s standout performance distinguishes Nikki pre- and post-willow branch, not to mention the various moments of lucidity wherein we see her loss of agency. We see Navarette shift gears from one moment to the next, from her cloying “perfect girlfriend” voice to Nikki’s panicked state when she briefly regains control. Then the pendulum swings again to enraged “Nikki”, lovestruck but with a gruff voice, and desperate as Bear rejects her crazed advances. Director Curry Barker clues viewers in to see a glimpse of what Nikki goes through after being possessed by the supernatural forces behind the willow branch, yet never overexplaining, allowing movie goers to make their own inferences. In one particular scene, Bear tries calling the customer service line on the back of the One Wish Willow box, inquiring about undoing or altering the wish to no avail. The wish is permanent and will remain as long as he lives. The most the apathetic agent can do is “patch Bear in” to speak with true Nikki, after doing so her tormented screams fill the car, letting viewers imagine what she could be going through.
Barker begs the question of whether Nikki was ever fully in control of her own life, rather than just influenced by the various projections her friend made of her. Bear is portrayed as falling in love with a fictionalized, idealized version of Nikki. Despite Nikki making it abundantly clear she does not reciprocate his feelings in her moments of lucidity, Bear doesn’t take action until much later, despite the varied red flags à la duct taped door. There is a comparison drawn between Nikki’s friends Bear, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson), and Sarah (Megan Lawless) and how they perceive the new relationship in light of the erratic behavior. Framed as a mental health crisis, Ian suggests that Bear may be taking advantage of Nikki who is in a fragile mental state. When it is later revealed Ian had actually been hooking up with Nikki for the two years prior to the story, we see how the men argue over her without allowing her to voice her own opinion.
In a moment of confidence prior to the story Nikki confesses to Sarah about knowing about Bear’s crush but seeing him as more of a brother. As the situation progresses, Sarah suggests that other “Nikki” might actually be the one taking advantage of Bear’s good will, using him as a support during a difficult time, only to dump him when convenient. Despite the alleged mental health crisis, it isn’t his cross to bear.
The progression of Nikki’s lunacy and loss of agency whether that be emotional, verbal, or physical, is a vehicle that Barker uses to transform the idea of coercion into something more tangible. The disconnect is horrifying when viewers realize that true Nikki is able to speak freely only when “Nikki” is asleep, even then having to speak in a hushed tone, constrained.
As an avid horror movie watcher, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and found it very refreshing. The premise is fairly simple and didn’t feel overexplained. As a viewer I felt that I was coming to understand the parameters of the One Wish Willow alongside Bear. The steady crawl to the conclusion feels well paced in spite of Bear’s conflicting emotions as Nikki’s behavior grows increasingly more volatile. The audience feels frustrated with his actions, but through Johnston’s portrayal I found myself disgusted and cringing at moments where he clings to the idea that Nikki’s love might be real. Instead of trying to undo the wish he rationalizes it when it is evident that Nikki is in anguish. Yet, I still empathized with Bear and the innocent intentions he started out with, because who hasn't crossed their fingers or wished on a shooting star? This film recontextualizes it all and makes one rethink the implications of what one truly is “wishing for”, a cautionary textbook trope done right.
Nikki is the unfortunate victim of Bear and his desire, Navarette does an excellent job portraying her and the disconnect between mind and body, perception and autonomy. Navarette is supernatural, combining microexpressive twitches, glassy eyes, primal yelling, and animalistic shuffling wrapping it all together in a bow to deliver an excellent performance that only the branch of a willow tree could conjure.
Suffice to say, maybe we should all stick to wishing for money.