Obsession
NEW YORK (OSV News) — “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones,” the 16th-century mystic St. Teresa of Avila is famously said to have observed. To judge by the horror film “Obsession” (Focus), something similar — but far more drastic — might be said about fulfilled wishes.
Socially awkward music store clerk Baron “Bear” Bailey (Michael Johnston) yearns to transform his longtime friendship with his co-worker Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette) into a romance. Yet, though Bear broods about the situation constantly, he can’t bring himself to share his true feelings with Nikki.
Not a dream come true
A more unusual means to Bear’s end presents itself, however, when he comes across a novelty item called a “One Wish Willow.” Break it in two, the toy’s package promises buyers, while reciting your chosen outcome and whatever you ask for will be yours. Bear follows these instructions while wishing for Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world.
Much to Bear’s surprise, Nikki immediately shows signs of being head-over-heels about him, and grows deliriously more passionate with every passing hour. But the result, it soon turns out, is anything but a dream come true.
Nikki’s body, we later learn, has been more or less possessed by a Stepford wife-on-steroids version of herself who, when Bear goes off to work in the morning, stands transfixed in place all day until he returns home. Unfortunately, this routine does not include bathroom breaks.
Daft to deadly
In between the unintentional laughs provoked by some of Nikki’s other, less distasteful antics, writer-director Curry Barker’s chiller lapses into long periods of dullness. Since new Nikki eventually goes from daft to deadly, moreover, the plot includes a gruesome climactic murder.
Like Bear and Nikki’s first bedroom encounter, this killing is depicted explicitly while its aftermath is shown in harrowing detail. Wise viewers will spare themselves the experience.
OSV News classification: O
The film contains excessive gory violence, grisly images, graphic premarital sexual activity with rear nudity, full nudity in a nonsexual context, cohabitation, occult and suicide themes, a repulsive scatological incident, a few uses of profanity, frequent milder swearing, references to incest, pervasive rough and considerable crude language, and a couple of crass expressions. The OSV News classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on X @JohnMulderig1.
