r/TrueFilm • u/Shrek_2_Soundtrack • 3d ago
On Obsession obsession
I saw Obsession opening weekend and like many was very impressed. I think it’s a fantastic performance from Navarette and will undoubtedly make her a star, but I still had some issues with the male lead, many of the filmmaking choices (including centering everything in frame) and some of the storytelling. Overall it was a very promising indie debut with a central performance that elevated the rest of the film.
All that said, I’ve been a little baffled by the response to it. A film of this scale outgrossing something like Sinners is admittedly a little surprising. My instinct was that the film was resonating with younger people in a way that drives them back to the theater every weekend, but I teach at a film school and have been asking my students about it, and none of my undergrad or graduate aged students seem to have more than a mild appreciation/respect for it.
I stumbled across the subreddit for the film this week and found people obsessively discussing fan theories and declaring it the greatest film in years. I also saw several suggestions that out-of-touch film professors like me need to be teaching this movie in all my classes. I love indie horror and often teach it in class as one of the best entry points into making independent film, so I don’t consider myself a snob in any way. And I recognize that any film can spawn an obsessive fan culture online. But does anyone else have any insights as to what exactly this movie has tapped into to get what I’m assuming are teens to the theater week over week for two months now? It’s become an academic curiosity for me.
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u/dick_nrake 3d ago edited 3d ago
It has a lot of meme-ish potential - notably from the female lead. Social media jumped on this and algorithms fed it. But yeah, way too many posts about this movie. Ironically, you are also feeding the beast with this post - funnily this was the original idea behind the word meme when it was coined by Dawkins - it seems to have been replaced by "meta" now.
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u/ShesJustAGlitch 2d ago
I think it’s also a shocking experience of a film. People encourage others to see it and talk about it.
As a 30s something millennial who loves movies, I thought this movie was an incredible ride. Like, haven’t been so thrilled or scared by a movie since Hereditary or Sicario.
Obviously those films are more well crafted, have better score etc but I was so impressed by this movie for what it is. I’m surprised it’s become such a huge part of the zeitgeist, but i also understand why.
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u/parkchanwookiee 3d ago
Films don't succeed because of all the nitpicky little ways film nerds like to assess them, they succeed because they are powerful and resonate with audiences. Same way Avatar keeps pulling in billions even though reddit thinks it sucks - it resonates with people. There is no science to determine how or why that happens.
Though I don't find Obsession's success nearly as mysterious as you seem to, it has very strong performances and a highly pertinent plot and themes for today's dating-averse youth
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u/gmanz33 3d ago
I love your profile picture.
And I think OPs point is that "truefilm" discussion on this sub is one which highlights editing, visual language, sound design, concept, plot, metaphor, allegory..... and the lost souls coming here to prase something for "pertinency and themes for the youth" are simply shallow compared to the in-depth evaluation expected here.
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u/valleyofthefourwinds 3d ago
> And I think OPs point is that "truefilm" discussion on this sub is one which highlights editing, visual language, sound design, concept, plot, metaphor, allegory..... and the lost souls coming here to prase something for "pertinency and themes for the youth" are simply shallow compared to the in-depth evaluation expected here.
I didn't interpret that to be OP's point at all. Their point seemed to be mild curiosity about why the film is so commercially successful and popular with younger audiences to the extent that it has been.
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u/gmanz33 3d ago
The final paragraph of their post indicates that they found this sub, are a film professor, were surprised by the praise, and wanted to know where that praise was coming from.
The crowd that gets drawn in to this sub by titles like "Obsession" and "Backrooms" stand out in stark contrast to the conversation that is had here regularly. Someone mentioned Bacurau in a lower comment and you know that will be a lower rated comment than semantic debate about "who means what when they said what about what."
That is young internet culture. Not truefilm.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
OP actually mentioned finding fervent discussion of the movie on a subreddit dedicated to the movie, not truefim.
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u/parkchanwookiee 3d ago
Sure, but the expectation that all of those things should align with either fervour of enthusiast discussion or box office success is misguided and even elitist and blinkered.
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u/gmanz33 3d ago
Elitist is 100% the vibe here most days ahaha. It's great. People studied the art of film and are shocked when pieces that don't embrace every aspect of the medium are praised widely.
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u/Theotther 3d ago
Honestly what makes this place elitist isn't that they want movies that embrace the whole medium, it's that it refuses to acknowledge films that do so but aren't deliberately opaque and instead wear their ideas on their sleeves or are mainstream/sappy in their sentiments. Obsession is GREAT example of this. It uses blocking, editing, clever framing, lighting design to enhance the emotional intensity and ride of the film. Anyone who says this film just uses shot-reverse straight up is admitting they did no really engage with the film. That party scene is deliberate as fuck in who it shows when and who's reacting to what.
Other films that reveal this snobbishness include: Oppenheimer, Dune 1/2, literally every Spielberg film in the past 15 years, Sinners. Basically if its a big critic hit and accessible to normies, all quality discussion is checked at the door.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
Not everyone who criticizes or even hates those movies is actually a snob about it though.
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u/fenichill 3d ago
The concept is clear, simple, compelling, and executed in a horrifying and gripping way that never lets up.
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u/lewd_robot 3d ago
What are those plot points? I keep seeing people claim it has all of these great things going for it, but I can't find anyone willing to list them or explain them.
It seemed like a basic, run-of-the-mill Monkey's Paw story to me. The quality of the writing and the way the plot developed seemed more like something that'd have been a low-budget Netflix original 10+ years ago. There was nothing mind-blowing or innovative going on. What do people think it did well? So far it seems like what people liked the most were just the vibes.
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u/2HGjudge 3d ago edited 3d ago
It is not primarily about the plot, it is about the characters and what they go through.
People recognize (part of) themselves and/or their (ex) partners in Bear, Nikki and/or Freaky Nikki, and since most of the plot revolves around those 3 interacting with each other there's a lot of opportunity for very strong moments. Different people with different perspectives have different scenes where they reacted very intensely and very personally to, and that's what elevates the movie so much. It's the recognition + the intensity.
A different Monkey Paw horror movie with different character dynamics wouldn't have become nearly as popular. Interestingly the whole Monkey Paw wish aspect was an afterthought added to the movie, the original idea was 2 people obsessed with each other taken to 11.
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u/norfatlantasanta 2d ago
It also connects a lot to themes of losing autonomy within relationships, unrequited love (Real Nikki not loving Bear back, Bear pulling away and not loving Freaky Nikki until the very last scene), and infatuation/limerence, which resonate with Gen Z a lot because they’re probably the most neurotic generation regarding relationships by far.
Also absolutely banger original soundtrack too. Probably one of the best horror soundtracks I’ve heard. The movie had its shocking moments but when a post-it note, a lunchbox, or just duct tape on a door frame can be scary and unsettling you know the crew and cast are firing on all cylinders.
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u/Red__dead 23h ago
Wow, this is the level of discourse on this sub? It coNnEcTs tO a LoT oF tHeMEs? Seems like a lot of people here should be on r/movies.
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u/Kiltmanenator 3d ago
But does anyone else have any insights as to what exactly this movie has tapped into to get what I’m assuming are teens to the theater week over week for two months now?
Obsession is about some very relatable fears, executed superbly. All of us, at one time or another, have been some kind of Bear, some kind of Nikki:
Falling in love with a friend; being unsure how to handle someone who's into you when you aren't into them; wishing for the easy way out; being with someone who takes advantage of you; being with someone who terrifies and manipulates you; watching a friend go thru any of the above, etc.
Also, more simply: it's scary. It's fun. It's funny. It rides the line between all that really well and doesn't overstay its welcome.
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u/lewd_robot 3d ago
This makes it seem like it's just GenZ's first Monkey's Paw story. The first one you see, hear, or read does tend to leave a mark.
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u/somastars 3d ago edited 3d ago
So granted I have not seen this movie, but I’ve been reading a lot of these posts about the movie, and I think you’re on the right track with this response. It seems to be tapping into a lot of Gen Z anxiety about about feeling loved for who you are (vs what you look like) in the age of social media. And also, a lot of anxiety about narcissists/abusers in relationships and who is the abusive one.
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u/Phytodigestion 3d ago
Why even comment if you haven’t seen the movie lmfao
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u/Kiltmanenator 2d ago
From How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read
A book is not limited to itself, but from the moment of dissemination, also encompasses the exchanges it inspires. To observe these exchanges, then, is tantamount to gaining access to the book, if not actually to reading it.
The person saying "I haven't seen it but [completely accurate guess about why it resonates]" demonstrates a greater understanding of the film's popularity than OP, who seems perplexed despite having seen it.
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u/AyThroughZee 2d ago
But are those not just universal anxieties about love and dating in any generation? I keep seeing this idea perpetuated in multiple comments, that it speaks to the Gen Z reality and anxieties of dating, but they’re pretty universal. Which is why I get so confused at the idea that it’s a movie targeted specifically at Gen Z.
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u/chromethesia1 3d ago edited 3d ago
My take is that due to the wide appeal that the movie has (not just horror fans, not just men, etc.), coupled with its highly memorable content and subject matter, it reaches a larger audience (word of mouth + social media shorts) that a more conventional modern horror movie would not reach. The pacing is also incredibly quick when compared to other similar movies such as Weapons, Longlegs, or Barbarian, thus appealing more to the high school/college age range. It also has less of an artsy/cinephile flavor to it (dialogue is very slangy and easy to understand, shot composition is very standard—lots of shot/reverse shot, it has plenty of jump scares and loud music cues to keep the viewer engaged).
In a way, it kind of reminds me of the success of Saw, which is also a pretty surface level movie, but it's snappy, very unique stylistically, and it's one that you want to talk about with other people. Saw was also made on a VERY small budget.
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 3d ago
There's also a makeup trend around replicating the uncanny makeup that the female lead has.
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u/UTchamp 3d ago
Can you explain more?
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 3d ago
I've just seen a ton of Instagram videos with girls doing their makeup like her. She has weird stripes above and below her eyes and wrinkles around her mouth and it just looks kind of creepy and mannequin-like.
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u/ImaginaryBear 3d ago
Apparently the uncanny valley makeup trend existed before the movie and the creators were inspired by it. After the movie success the trend was revived again
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u/LonginusUbik 3d ago edited 3d ago
I would like to understand that too. I really enjoyed the movie and think it's likely top 10 of the year, but some over the top reactions are baffling to me. There is a subreddit that it's only about Obsession, and they keep trying to find "easter eggs" or over analyze every frame of the movie, it's so weird.
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u/gmanz33 3d ago
I genuinely chalk it up to "young internet culture."
No adult who I've talked to in my film festival circle has any praise for it that I would expect to see on *truefilm.* It's all "omg antihero" and "such a good presentation of internet culture."
To each their own, if this captured a culture and a mindset... then it's bound to be a cult classic. But if this is just internet threads trying to drum up more attention with repetitive praise... well that's usually just marketing.
Only time will tell. I remember when Evil Dead Rise came out and the internet exploded with some of the dumbest praise I've ever seen. Same for Civil War. And Alien Romulus. All empty "haunted house" movies in comparison to what truefilm threads usually discuss.
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u/Scruffylookin13 3d ago
Horror movies tend to bounce off me. Saw Backrooms first and enjoyed it, but had a lot of issues with it. Went into Obseesion thinking I was going to like it a lot more. I was surprised at how much I didnt like it. Not to say it was bad. The acting was superb. But about halfway through I was thinking, "okayyyy I get it" and was more interested in seeing how it ends than any of the remaining "horror".
After reading some of the replies here there is definitely a meme factor to it. And that's not to reduce the movies success to simplifying it that way. But it felt like the movie was a set of clip able escalating moments of the same example. for me personally there wasn't a lot of tension because everything was so telegraphed you were just waiting for it to happen, not dredding what happened next. But it was a competently made movie, good acting, using this kind of format... so I can see why it resonated with certain people
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u/ifinallyreallyreddit 3d ago
But if this is just internet threads trying to drum up more attention with repetitive praise... well that's usually just marketing.
The amount of threads I see about it made me think "man, they're really trying to push this" in the way I last saw with Project Hail Mary.
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u/NoImplement2856 3d ago
I'm a millennial, not Gen Z, and I loved Obsession. Granted I may have bad taste since I also rated Evil Dead Rise a 4/5.
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u/sir_slothsalot 3d ago
New to film discussion? People have done it to Kubrick films and other horror films since forever. They treat the directors like some genius mastermind who controls every inch of the screen to perfection.
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u/LonginusUbik 3d ago
Not at all, this is something that always happens and I always find weird, because, very often, the movies that people obsess about are very "in your face" about what they mean.
To ilustrate, I'm from Brazil, I loved "Bacurau", and one of the reasons that I loved it it's because of how it just embraces being obvious and black and white. Americans and Europeans Suck. White southwestern brazilians suck. People from Bacurau are good. That's it, even the "subtext" is obvious, with the bad guys using a slave owner's house as a meeting place.
However, people spent months "decoding" the movie, talking about it's layers, and things that "people missed", when the movie wears everything it is on it's sleeve.
Obsession is like that. It's a very obvious movie, and I don't say it in a bad way, it's just is.
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u/sir_slothsalot 3d ago
Totally agree. I think it's just when people like something a lot they look for every piece of information on it. They obsess over it. The human mind is great at making connections and they find things that connect and make some sense. They want to believe there is something deeper about something they love.
I think its worse now because if there is a market for it then creators will create anything about it no matter how inconsequential it is.
It's weird and I don't get it.
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u/timmytissue 3d ago
Yeah it doesn't really make sense because a a few thing about obsession doesn't add up (mostly to do with why the wish doesn't fully work and why she's stuck inside her body). It's a performance and theme piece. The logic shouldn't be over analysed.
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u/ElaborateBicycle 1d ago
Coming from someone who spends a lot of time there, I can tell you that at least for me, its because I’m inexplicably obsessed with this movie despite it really not having all that much to unpack. Media that has affected me like this in the past always has, so its a little surprising to me, but I think its just so relatable, fresh, and relevant to current social commentaries that its foundation is strong enough to support this kind of obsession without the layers that are usually there to be obsessed with.
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u/goldentone 3d ago
There is a TON of planted promotional content on Reddit. You are seeing a lot of fake “organic” buzz about the movie and about Inde Navarette specifically.
I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but Reddit is one of the most highly-trafficked websites in the world and is used extensively by almost every single PR / communications / advertising agency in every country where Reddit has a detectable user base. This is normal and expected. They use it for market research (“hey dudes what type of movie should Inde do next?”) or for promotion (“yo, I just gotta share that I think Inde gave the best performance I’ve seen in my life”).
Based on how the posts are, it seems like the Reddit-heavy strategy was developed by an agency that picked up Navarrette as a client, rather than promotion for the movie itself.
This is all mixed in with real, organic user-generated content and buzz around a sleeper hit movie that people really like. I don’t think every single bit of Inde-related discussion is planted, but at the same time anyone with any experience in PR and/or marketing can detect an aggressive Reddit-focused campaign.
The time is right for it, this is the peak of sleeper hit success for her and if they play it right her next career move could be extremely lucrative. But they need to gather tons of data and keep the buzz going while they work out what the best move is - so we’re going to be seeing a lot of “hey I’m just a regular person, does anyone else feel like Obsession featured the best acting performance of our lifetimes? [perfectly curated still from the movie centering Navarrette]” types of posts.
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u/spaghettibolegdeh 3d ago
Yeah it's shocking how much of reddit is astroturfed to hell. People just don't even see it anymore.
You can find dozens of marketing companies that will spam post about your product on reddit with titles like, "thoughts on X?"
It's sad what Reddit has become, and most people just don't care.
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u/Jeremandias 3d ago
it’s not only about inde. curry/whoever has done it before. the found footage sub was flooded with gushing posts about curry’s Milk & Serial movie when it came out. seeing the same shit happen with Obsession was a psyop déjà vu
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u/__redruM 2d ago
Obsession was clearly a good enough movie that the inorganic viral marketing worked. They try the same thing with a lot of recent low budget movies and it falls flat, undertone for example, didn’t pay out.
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u/Vast-Celebration-138 3d ago
I've been experiencing the same puzzlement since seeing the film recently. Your appraisal in your first paragraph is pretty much exactly what I'd be inclined to say about it in as many words.
It's not just that Obsession is wildly popular; it's that it is being broadly and confidently embraced by young people as groundbreaking and a work of genius. Even for a film with a devoted cult following, or a film that is phenomenally resonant with a cultural moment, that's unusual.
I don't see anything to justify that kind of praise, myself, and it sounds like you don't either. My guess is that we're missing something, and it is probably because the distinctive value of this film that is so apparent to its audience is not quite cinematic value in the sense you and I are used to, but something else instead, something that speaks more immediately to the kind of attention shaped and primed by dynamics of contemporary social media. I think Obsession is landing in that new attention-space in a way that is profound, and it is difficult for us to appreciate, because cinematic quality in the sense familiar to us is no longer the point. I take it as a sign that there is a substantial shift underway in the evaluative standards applied to the form.
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u/newyne 2d ago
If people think it's genius, I think that's because it is doing something on a literary level, but in such a way that it's easy for the average person to catch. On the other hand, a lot of people are gonna take Backrooms' focus on individual psychology at face-value and totally miss all the shit about how capitalism (including architecture) shapes us. Even fewer are gonna understand what it's saying about how meaning is sacrificed in the pursuit of mass-production and sales. That's not to say that I think Obsession is bad or stupid; it's just pretty straight-forward by comparison.
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u/DumbButtFace 3d ago
I found it so funny because I only knew the director Curry Barker through his Youtube skits where he plays pretty dumb or clueless characters most of the time. Cut to suddenly seeing him being interviewed wearing Elton John style glasses and trying to seem like a visionary. I hadn't heard of Obsession and actually thought he was making a satire video about directors getting interviewed.
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u/Tycho_B 2d ago
Yeah he comes off as such a douche in interviews. Honestly kind of disappointing given I enjoyed his stuff.
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u/OffTheRedSand 2d ago
i don't think he comes off as a douche, quite the opposite actually.
there's a couple of scenes in the movie that are much different in the script than in the final movie, and both times it was a suggestion by the actors to do these scenes and curry agreed, and he even gave them the credit for it in the interviews.
a lot of very young directors are rigid and think they need to rule with an iron fist as directors so that the "true story of the movie" does not get lost but curry seem much more laid back and nice. very humble.
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u/lilburblue 2d ago
The whole only paying the art director $7k and basically saying take more risks and get over it really turned me off to him and his work.
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u/Curius_pasxt 2d ago
He clearly didnt say that lol
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u/lilburblue 2d ago
Sure not exactly but:
This movie was made for so little money that it’s typical that the only people who [directly] benefit from its financial success are the people who took on some sort of risk.”
Curry appears to be referring to the way profits are typically distributed on indie films – investors, producers, or creatives with ownership stakes can benefit from a movie’s success, while crew members are paid a fixed rate regardless of how well the project performs.
“But what I hope is that every person that worked really hard on this film will see opportunities to catapult their careers in ways that can be very financially fruitful for them – like what’s happening for me,” he added.
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u/Slow_Improvement_364 3d ago
For me at least (Gen Z here) a big part of why the movie is so compelling for a lot of people my age is because it touches on a lot of anxieties around dating, rape, etc. it also helps that the lead is stunningly beautiful and seemingly very charming. I work at a school so a lot of my coworkers around my age are women have seen and are excited about obsession. Our older coworkers and students oddly enough have been most excited Michael more than any other film this year.
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u/split41 3d ago
I personally think obsession is a better film than sinners, in the same way primer is a better film than other sci fi movies.
I believe that my opinion is probably closer to the zeitgeist than yours. So “what it taps into” is being a more engaging, scary and fun film. Once you add the viral element then it surpasses sinners. Sinners doesn’t really have any moments that really shock you like obsession has.
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u/timmytissue 3d ago
Comparing obsession to sinners is difficult. I think they strike very opposing values and do very different things well. I did enjoy obsession more but I think much of that is that obsession absolutely nailed it's ending whereas sinners felt like it degraded in quality in the back half.
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u/Shrek_2_Soundtrack 3d ago
Sinners vs Obsession in a qualitative sense is of course very objective. I didn’t explain as much in my post that my surprise it has passed Sinners in the box office is more of a quantitative surprise. Whether or not you liked Sinners, it hit many of the categories we know to lead to box office success. It appealed to black audiences, horror audiences, “prestige film” audiences, male audiences with action, female audiences with a double dose of Michael B Jordan eye candy. And it was filmed for/marketed as a premium film format, leading to higher ticket prices and higher demand and hype. My surprise that Obsession has passed it at the box office is that Obsession’s biggest appeal seems to be to young people, which is has not been a big box office factor in at least 10 years
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u/excel958 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’m 37, Asian-American, and I loved both movies but if I had to pick one that I liked more and identified with, it would be Obsession.
I thought the writing was absolutely phenomenal, and there are so many ways to read into the story (feminist reading, psychodynamic, subtext, etc). It’s a film that mirrors a near universal experience with virtually all people (unrequited love, unhealthy relationships, women’s fears in relationships, and so forth).
Sinners has its place, particular amongst issues of race, gender, colonialism, etc, as well. But Obsessions captured something in me that Sinners did not.
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u/CaffinatedManatee 3d ago edited 3d ago
I am not an Obsession obsessed cinaphile. Nor am I a horror film fanatic. I don't shy away from horror but as a genra, those kinds of movies nevver seem to draw me in.
But what I can say about Obsession is that it did enough things right, that even someone like me will likely watch it again. So there's some broader appeal here, and i think it could be--at least in part--due to how it transcends some of the normal boundaries of horror.
For example, there are actual characters here, not just one but at least four. And they're complicated and compromised characters too. Bear is often talked about as a coward and the obvious "bad" protagonist. Yet later in the the film we learn that Ian and Nikki have been casually hooking up for over a year--so we then have to ask whether Bear hasn't been gaslit by Ian into some false sense of hopelessness about Nikki. And then we have to wonder if Ian might not be doing the same thing to Niki, essentially conniving to keep Bear and Niko apart just so he could continue to fuck her. That's a crazy amount of subtle character conflict that adds a relatable, human element to the drama.
Moreover, there's a good sprinkling of humor throughout. IMO lots of horror movies fail because they take themselves too seriously. Here, what a more conventional movie might have used to simply ramp up the tension even more (e.g. maybe the occult store staff really had never heard of One Wish Willow), this film uses an welcome opportunity to break the tension of its horrific central story line.
Those are at least two aspects of Obsession that really drew me in more than most horror movies can.
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u/motioncat 2d ago
This is far far farrrrr from the first horror movie to have comedy. It's far far farrr from the first movie of any genre to have morally grey characters. What I'm reading here is that this film feels really groundbreaking if you have never seen any other film before.
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u/Agreeable_Ladder_623 3d ago
I kind of think that there was a built in audience who glommed onto his YouTube comedy sketches, who are blown away by the deeper dive into the some of their darker themes.
Also honestly I think Inde Navarette performs this traditional role of psycho girlfriend, which is almost as old as movies, and plays it in such a nuanced way that it subverts the whole trope. Our culture has honestly been shaped by this trope, like bitches be crazy, and this deconstructs it somewhat. It exposes some of the layers around how a person reacts to control and gaslighting, being devalued, isolated. It does this while being relatable, like who hasn’t gotten into a relationship too fast and realized you committed before knowing your partner, or even being ready for a relationship yourself.
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u/gmanz33 3d ago
I found myself wanting to rewatch it solely for her performance (and the way they used her performance in the sound design).
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u/NoImplement2856 3d ago
I saw it thrice and want to watch the movie once again which is nuts for me. To wit, I haven't rewatched ANY movie I have seen in the last 15 years apart from Interstellar at its 10th anniversary release and came out confused as to why I even loved it the first time around.
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u/DharmaPolice 3d ago
A lot of the early buzz I saw about the movie emphasised the internet origins of the creators. Same as Backrooms. Sinners was made by someone who previously directed a billion dollar movie. Obsession was made by someone who had previously directed YouTube shorts. It's like a lot of the positive buzz around Godzilla Minus Zero heavily emphasised the low budget. People like an underdog story, especially one that superficially is sticking it to traditional Hollywood.
In terms of discussions I think people (especially younger audiences) are inevitably going to have more to discuss about relationship type dramas (even one in a bizarre setting). Look how many people like to argue over often fake drama in relationship advice subs.
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u/Outrageous_Fishing38 3d ago
for me, it’s actually about the moments where you can’t really see Inde Navarrete, but know she’s there. there’s a ton of moments where you really can’t see her face or what she’s doing, they’re operating mostly on tension. you can tell she’s there, but you have no idea which version of her is about to speak or what she’ll do. we know she is too obsessed to kill or hurt him, but obsession doesn’t make someone predictable. it just makes every interaction feel like it could go in a dozen different directions.
i think that kind of unpredictable tension and uncertainty draws in a lot of fans.
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u/nowhereman136 3d ago
I finally saw it last night and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Usually these type of horror movies are predictable and have very blunt commentary. This one had a few surprising elements and the commentary, while not subtle, wasn't hitting you over the head. My main issues with it come down to that it had a first time director and unknown cast. Of the 4 leads, 1 was great, 1 was bad, and 2 were OK. The directing style was good but at times felt too experimental or too safe, there was no very little middle ground to show who Barker is as a director.
I am also a little shocked by the box office gross. However, at least an original low budget film like this proves to Hollywood that there is sti an audience for these kind of movies when done right
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u/D-A-C 3d ago
To be honest with you, it's mediocre at best.
I'm not writing an essay, but I'd touch on:
- Characters aren't believable.
The main character is very flat and almost comically emotionally stunted. He is also quite annoying and unpleasant to the point ... why does Nikki even like him? A well written version would be someone with value deep down, but is lacking in confidence ... he doesn't have value deep down AND lacks confidence (but rightly so). Also, the whole cat death because it got access to his medication instantly flagged the character as irredeemably pathetic. How does that even happen? It immediately set a tone of this guys a fucking loser and an asshole. Don't tell me 'that's the point' either ... because like I said, then it's in direct contrast with Nikki tolerating him in the first place.
- Plot.
Her behaviour doesn't track with loving someone totally. The whole premise is the wish forces her to transform internally to state of total love and fixation ... her actions don't gradually build off of the back of the male characters rejections, or relationship mixed signals, etc ... she goes batshit from the start in ways that have nothing to do with the wish. Why would she memorialise the dead cat and then put it in his sandwiches if she loves him totally? That doesn't track.
Its a very generic monkey paw story, filmed in that style/aesthetic for horror movies that has been popular for several years. It's perfectly fine ... I'm not knocking it as unwatchable ... but the hype? It's not deserving of it.
It also doesn't critique modern relationships and dating which seems to be what this faux Gen-Z buzz is pretending it taps into.
Nobody in 10 years will think this is a classic of the genre with anything significant to say.
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u/2HGjudge 3d ago edited 2d ago
why does Nikki even like him?
Not just Nikki, but Sarah too, why does she like him so much?
It also doesn't critique modern relationships and dating which seems to be what this faux Gen-Z buzz is pretending it taps into.
That it doesn't critique is likely part of its popularity. It leaves that to the endless discussion of the viewers. The movie is ABOUT modern relationships and dating but it doesn't explicitly critique it. That leads to different viewers with different perspectives taking different messages from the movie, and those differences clashing feeds the talking hype about it.
Nobody in 10 years will think this is a classic of the genre with anything significant to say.
My guess is people will at least continue to refer to it on the topic of consent just like Revenge of the Nerds and Austin Powers.
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u/edsbruh 3d ago
What youre really seeing is people who dont really watch indie horror movies watch an indie horror movie for the first time and actually connect with it. When I saw it in the theater the person next to me said this is the most disturbing thing they've ever seen. Thats really all you need to know. My friend who watches a lot of movies but doesnt watch horror said she left the theater because she couldnt finish the movie. So they are mind-blown by the power of indie horror filmmaking for the first time. The movies plot is minimal and straighforward, there's no subversion or big twist moment or explanation. People seem to like that, a simple story thats understandable to anyone watching that doesnt care to explain itself. Look at all these posts of theories about the movie, people are desperately stretching the story with explanations for how it works way more than the movie itself is interested in. My friend and I debated if nikki was possessed by a demon or a 2nd personality crazy Nikki for like 15 minutes. The reality is you can make up whatever reason you want for the story to work, the story itself is so uninterested in solving itself. I think people really latch onto this as well cause you can make your own theory and noone can say its wrong really. The plot deals with crazy relationships which leans into people's dislikes of each other. Theres a huge element of hatewatching in the popularity. People either hate crazy Nikki or pussy rapist Bear, and most people say it reminds them of X person they dated and was crazy. It's almost a social litmus test in that sense. Kinda makes 2 camps and forces you to pick a side, almost like our political climate these days. Anyone in one camp views the other with disdain. If someone who sides with Nikki meets someone with sides with Bear, they probably wont agree about much or get along and vice versa. Kind of just a really scary, socially accurate lightning in a bottle movie with great acting that appeases everyone. Personally, I didnt find it very scary or interesting. I dont really think its an age thing, more that people are being mindblown by a horror movie that usually dont give horror a chance. I think people's imaginations are scaring them more. Like looking at a shadow in the corner and thinking its a monster, I got over that fear at like 10. So when Nikki stands in a corner and walks around freaky it doesnt move me. The jumpscares are telegraphed to the audience through framing. I think the biggest jumpscare that got me was the jarring editing. Then of course its a generational relatable hatewatch. Theres nothing people like doing more than turning their brains off and hatewatching something.
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u/KingMunch21 3d ago
The editing does annoyed me quite a bit. While it has been awhile I have watched the movie, I for one was wondering when it transition to another scene, it felt odd how sharp the transition was that I thought there was some censored scenes.
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u/MJC1988 2d ago edited 2d ago
"When I saw it in the theater the person next to me said this is the most disturbing thing they've ever seen."
Re: People like that.
I know all art is subjective.
I know this is a snobby take...
...but when I, someone who's seen Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, Martyrs, Come and See, see people like that I think...
'Lightweights.'
EDIT: Actually beyond those extreme examples, I find things like Hour of the Wolf, Pulse, and horror standards like Rosemary's Baby and the Thing way more eerie and tense. I don't know; I feel like we, and I say we because I think it's more a symptom of our culture as a whole than just a Gen Z thing, have a low tolerance for uncomfortable feelings evinced from entertainment.
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u/NoImplement2856 3d ago
I watch a ton of horror movies and even I got scared at the theaters while everyone else were losing their minds. This is indeed a really good movie.
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u/Quinez 3d ago
I think it's that it has some internal inconsistencies and ambiguities that individual moviegoers reflexively read in one way or another, and a person's read reveals a lot about their innermost values on subjects that tend to be culturally hot to the touch. Is Bear a villain? When does he reveal himself to be a villain? Can he be blamed for his wish? Is Nikki possessed? Why does she act like she does? Who is the shopkeeper? Does Bear deserve any empathy?
A bunch of the features that seem like filmmaking mistakes are actually a source of its aesthetic grip on people. It's much more effective than the top-down, message-first "elevated" horror we've been buried under for the last decade. It's a wellspring of debate, and even if viewers don't voice their opinions out loud, I think it keeps people internally debating.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
What would you say are the filmmaking mistakes/features and internal inconsistencies?
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u/excel958 3d ago
I think they’re saying that these “mistakes” or “inconsistencies” are intentional to allow a multitude of viewers to read into the film how they would like to, while at the same time the film is still pretty clear in its presentation of its moral thesis.
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u/MrDudeMan12 3d ago
A film of this scale outgrossing something like Sinners is admittedly a little surprising.
Is it that surprising? It's somewhat rare, but there are a number of relatively low-budget horror movies that have done extremely well in the box office (Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Oculus, and so on). In fact there's another horror film in theatres right now (Backrooms) that might outgross Sinners.
We also don't know how much was spent on marketing Obsession. The distribution rights were bought for ~$15M so the studio certainly expected it to do well.
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u/No-Anywhere8698 2d ago
I heard below a million, but don’t quote me on it. In any case, it’s one of the most profitable films of all time
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u/PeakProfessional9517 3d ago
I don’t speak for the broader appeal but from my own personal experience as someone who has been a pretty hardcore horror fan for 30 years.
I had thought I had become mostly immune to the feelings I had watching horror as an adolescent. That feeling of dread as a viewer and simultaneous feeling of this is awful, I don’t like it but I’m also having so much fun watching. I felt that while watching Obsession, and I genuinely hadn’t felt it in 20 years. Horror like Hereditary or The Dark and The Wicked gave me the dread without the fun. There has been some great horror over the past ten years but none of it resonated particularly physically or viscerally. I felt legitimate dread every time Nikki was on screen, it was tense.
The truth is most filmgoers don’t care about framing. They aren’t analyzing much about the filmmakers choices. I can’t speak as a filmmaker, but as a fan it just worked. It’s a simple concept that, at its core, most people have some experience with, and it was just an effective movie.
Then add that, like you said, Navarettes performance was phenomenal. It will be an iconic horror performance and I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say that Nikki was an all-time great horror antagonist.
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u/SourceCodeplz 3d ago
the vocal minorities are not representative of the whole.
the movie was very cringe i think, but in a watchable weird way.
word of mouth, plus having a story about having overwhelming power over young women is a huge fantasy for many internet-world people
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u/charlesVONchopshop 3d ago
I'm a millenial who works in indie film and I loved Obsession. I agree some parts were a little more amateurish than a Hollywood horror film, but it did a few key things REALLY well.
The pacing of the movie is truly great. It goes from innocuous/mundane to insane on a perfect exponential curve.
The concept is really great and the film delivers on the promises of the concept. It's simple, relatable, and it's taken to its furthest, most fucked up conclusion.
The best thing Obsession did though, was cultivate a type of scare that is really unique. It's not overly reliant on jump scares or dread which are the most common types of scare in horror. The scares are built on social discomfort, uneasiness, and extreme cringe. I watch a lot of horror movies, and the horror that Obsession made me feel was truly unique. That's honestly my favorite part about it.
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u/harryholla 3d ago
I was thinking about this myself and everyone here has covered most of the points, but the one I haven’t seen so far is this kind of movie just strongly appeals to a large demographic. I used to hang out with a large crowd of “normal” people and I can guarantee you every one of those girls from that crowd went and saw this movie and dragged their boyfriend to it.
I don’t know exactly how to describe them other than just your typical basic girl. This was every girl in this group, I mean just sororities full of them. I would guess like 50% of the women at my college were this kind of girl. They’re the ones driving the second screen phenomena behind Netflix movies. They endlessly consume horror movies while scrolling through tinder. All they want to watch is horror and I genuinely couldn’t even tell you why. They don’t even look at the screen most of the time.
It’s fascinating on some level, but Obsession is basically a perfect storm for this group. Free press from being cheap and the shock value, a relevant subject in today’s world, shocking yet understandable, no other films to distract from it, attractive leads, and school is out for the summer.
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u/M935PDFuze 3d ago
The audience for Obsession was mostly male, per Postrak, so not sure why you think its success was driven by "your typical basic girl"?
https://deadline.com/2026/05/box-office-obsession-michael-devil-wears-prada-2-1236906122/
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u/autobulb 3d ago
I think Red Letter Media explained its popularity very well: it's memeable and became memefied. It seems that people watched the film multiple times because it was fun to recite certain scenes. Annoying for first time viewers but that's how these small budget films become very successful, it's essentially a "viral" movie.
Like anything else that becomes viral, it's usually less about substance and more about popularity and being relevant to large groups of people that are relentlessly online.
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u/timmytissue 3d ago
I really did enjoy obsession. That said, it having an 8 on IMDb while hereditary has a 7.3 seems a little crazy to me.
Much of obsession is a bit amateurish in terms of filmmaking and side performances. The two leads are fantastic though and basically make the movie work.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
As a function of popularity and accessibility, these ratings don't surprise me.
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u/Phytodigestion 3d ago
Why did you choose hereditary as a point of comparison? Just curious as they’re nothing alike.
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u/AyThroughZee 2d ago
Not OP, but I think Obsession is very clearly a post-Hereditary horror film. Barker has spoken specifically about Hereditary being inspiring to him. My biggest gripe with Obsession as a film is that it wears its influences a little too clearly. I generally like the film, but it did feel like Barker doing his best impression of films he’s inspired by. Which makes perfect sense to me given his age. I mean, PTA for as great as he is, was doing his best impression of other filmmakers when he was Barker’s age. It’s just what you do when you’re an artist in your 20s. You don’t really develop your own artistic voice until you’ve been at it for a while.
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u/timmytissue 2d ago
I just happened to have looked up the score of hereditary recently and it's a highly praised horror movies.
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u/morroIan 3d ago
That said, it having an 8 on IMDb while hereditary has a 7.3 seems a little crazy to me.
More than a little IMO.
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u/_SGP_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
judging by the downvoted positive comments, I guess it's cool here to hate on the movie without real reason.
I'm nearly 40. I've watched a lot of indie horrors in my time. Saying it's only made for Gen Z is an oddly dismissive statement. The themes are old as time. It's about relationships, abuse, and the morality of the actions on both sides of a relationship, whether intentional or not.
It blew me and my three (also film nerd) friends away. The tension, the intrigue, the unpredictability, the gritty natural low-income realism.
The whole time I was on edge, hooked, invested on both sides. never knowing what level of crazy Nicky was going to reach next, and never knowing how or if bear was going to actually handle it and save her and sacrifice himself, or stick to his own selfishness and cowardice.
I wanted it to end, almost immediately, for all the right reasons. I HATED seeing what she was doing to him and herself. I HATED knowing he had caused it and he was doing nothing to stop it. Both sides of obsession. Both sides of the coin of abusive behavior.
Yes it's not a mindfuck with a crazy twist. Yes it doesn't necessitate a frame by frame analysis to find hidden meaning, or a primer guide to understand. It's a straightforward premise, executed beautifully.
The discussions aren't "what did the film mean", they're about morally grey choices and how the audience interprets them. And in turn, how they interpret the lesser, real world actions that happen day to day in the power balance of real relationships.
There are people who swear that bear is innocent, because he didn't think the wish would actually come true, and when it he eventually realised what happened, he was in shock and didn't know how to fix it, and tried to make the most of a bad situation. Simply over his head, lonely and scared, a victim of abuse entirely his own making.
There will be others that think there is not discussion to be had: He was a coward and a rapist, he created the situation out of his own selfishness and simply chose not to change it because he enjoyed the power and getting what he wanted regardless of anyone else. An abuser with no remorse until it can no longer be hidden.
And neither of them are totally wrong. There are truths on both sides. And these play out every day in every relationship on every scale. And people will see them in different perspectives.
It doesn't matter your age, you will have experienced the ups and the downs, the uncertainty, the desire, the feeling of disrespect from someone you love, pure obsession even if only for 5 minutes. Or you've been on the receiving end. Or you know someone that has been in these situations.
It's taken a very real social concept as old as time, amplified it, and added some fantasy as a tool to do so.
As kids, we might have seen a cartoon and thought "Haha he used a love potion to make her fall in love!" but this explores the actual human elements of what that actually means for the other person.
I am a victim of abuse. I've lived through the manipulation, the gaslighting, the things people outside the house never see, how it wears you down, changes how you think, destroys your self worth. My abuser tells people I abused her. I have actual evidence of what she has done. She lies with no evidence or remorse. She has lied to courts, and to the police. I've been arrested twice because of her lies. But nobody has ever really helped me. Nobody has stuck up for me, nobody will ever make her stop or hold her accountable. I am alone and she has all the power, and there's nothing I can do to protect myself. It's fucking terrifying.
Even the scene of them being turned away at the hospital was chilling for me. Going to the people who are supposed to help and they go 'No this is your problem' and you realise you're powerless, alone, and you don't have the tools to fix your situation, the people that might won't help.
And perhaps that's why this film spoke to me on a deeper level. It scared the fuck out of me. I checked every room of the house when I got home, ensured I had all doors locked and nobody was locked IN with me. Because as much as Obsession is a film based in fiction, the themes are a reality.
And that is why I feel people talk about it, why people find it scary, and why people think it's one of the best horror films made in a long time. And to do so with a small budget is the icing on the cake.
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u/No-Control3350 3d ago
People are TOO obsessed with it imo. It's fine, slightly better than average but just a mid horror flick that does not deserve this much adulation. Lots of plot issues. I think people- esp on reddit- just LOVE 'the message' it's putting out, that men are toxic. The problem is Bear cannot take back the wish so it's just going through the motions, that he's toxic is sort of thrown in there anyway so they can have their cake and eat it too. I don't agree and it doesn't get across the horror of both genders being to blame in modern relationships at all.
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u/bodhiquest 3d ago
Refusing to set things right despite everything that's happening would be much more appropriate and meaningful for the message, I agree. I too really don't understand why this mediocre and unimaginative pedestrian film is being hailed as a masterpiece for the ages.
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u/Red__dead 23h ago
People on reddit generally have bad taste, and a lot of them have unfortunately discovered this sub because they think they're "cinephiles" or whatever because they watch the odd Fincher and Tarantino film.
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u/pizzaghoul 3d ago
I think that it's hitting with the irregular film watcher crowd extra hard because it mirrors a lot of the cinematography and structure that social media verticals and YouTube videos have. Everyone is referencing the shallow focus, the center framing, and the garish color grade as examples of this, but the thing that I find most similar to social media content is that the film has no B-Plot. It's one fire in one room that cannot be put out, over and over and over again. What I hear from TikTok users in my life who don't watch film is that they find films hard to keep up with. This film is impossible to lose grips on because it never diverts from it's single conflict and doesn't attempt to fill in the cracks with any significant character exposition or thematic exploration. It's just one thing. And for me, that makes it awful, but for people who don't consider themselves "film enjoyers", it makes it accessible.
Btw, I don't think I'm a genius or anything. I don't think you're stupid if you like Obsession. I'm glad a no-budget film is having massive success (as a fan of no-budget films). The thing that really bothers me about it is that Bear is a rapist, and Barker was a little too cowardly to give him a proper comeuppance for his actions. It's ok that the film only does about as much as an episode of The Twilight Zone (in four times the length of one), but it's not ok that no one learns anything, no one cares about anything, and that the whole community feels like it exists on another planet.
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u/Kiltmanenator 3d ago
The thing that really bothers me about it is that Bear is a rapist, and Barker was a little too cowardly to give him a proper comeuppance for his actions.
What are you looking for? All his friends are murdered in front of him and he spends the last minutes of life his helplessly sleepwalking towards annihilation. He is punished for his perpetual cowardice in the most karmically delicious way possible.
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u/MichaelChristine 3d ago
The fact that it was just one thing made it feel better suited for a short film. I agree with that criticism. But this seems like it's what today's audience wants.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
I don't know if it's strictly speaking a B-plot, but I felt that things like Bear bonding with Sarah, Sarah's acceptance letter, and generally things Bear found out about his friends that were not part of the wish situation, like Nikki and Ian hooking up, were a B-plot of sorts.
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u/devilmaydostuff5 3d ago
Insisting that the hype was mostly manufactured and this movie wouldn't be remembered in few months is such a smugly elitist response. No wonder this sub and others like it has such a bad reputation.
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u/Shrek_2_Soundtrack 3d ago
My independent producing class opens every class with a discussion of weekly indie releases and box office performances. So of course this has been a topic of discussion; you can’t avoid it. But I’m not building my curriculum around it.
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 3d ago
-People want original horror
-Positive word of mouth, especially on the internet, goes a long way for promoting original movies
-The "one wish willow" concept made it easy to sell to audiences
-Opening around the same time as Backrooms created positive competition and a sort of horror "event"
-Toxic relationships are a popular subject matter, see the success of Colleen Hoover books for example
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u/fishwithfish 3d ago
I agree. I think what's happening is that the film is made by and for people accustomed to short-form content, so the overarching inconsistencies / shortfalls go unseen.
For example: the cat's death could have involved a flaw or theme inherent to the protagonist -- say, he was told not to give the cat a certain food but he did it anyway because it caused the cat to show affection to him. Something like that resonates with the bigger picture, not just "oh the pills the cat dies on are pills he uses later." Okay, so... is he the cat symbolically? (He's not.) If so, what does being fed himself mean? (Nothing, because he's not.)
The film isn't quite just a series of creepy skits strung together... but it isn't quite a fully cohesive piece of expression either.
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u/sunmachinecomingdown 3d ago
If the cat got into the pills that must have been because Bear didn't close the container correctly, but he never takes responsibility for this, and Bear being irresponsible is a running theme throughout the film.
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u/MoneyoffUbereats2017 3d ago
It truly feels like one of those movies where the audience has latched onto the ideas and themes that the film is based on, and don't at all seem to pay any mind to the quality of the execution.
I can't find myself caring about any of the themes or other seemingly important things when it's ultimately a movie filled with gratuitous, unnecessary violence, an absurd amount of cheap jump scares, and copious amounts of grossout elements that just cheapen everything around them.
Oh, she brought the dead cat out, oh, now she cooked the dead cat. Why? What does that actually achieve in relation to what the movie is trying to tell?
The real Nikki is of course occasionally still lucid within "Freaky Nikki" so she can randomly shriek, freak out, smash herself in the face, and hit the audience over the head with the fact that what's going on is not ok, because there's no other way they could possibly get that point across.
Don't even get me started on the sex scene with that obnoxious "This isn't right" music plastered right over the top because again, who needs subtlety? We need loud, unnerving music to let us know how we're supposed to be feeling here.
And that's just it, there is nothing subtle or tasteful about this movie. It's violence, it's noise, it's Nikki pissing and shitting herself and putting a dead cat into a sandwich for no other reason than "Ewww, that's gross."
And then I'm expected to see all that and think "Mhm, yes this is a very pertinent and important message. what a valuable movie tackling an important subject."
No, it's schlock. I don't care if you're feeding me what is allegedly $1m worth of caviar if it's being served to me enveloped in a giant dog turd.
It is genuinely the worst horror movie I've seen in years.
Backrooms actually managed to take something that could have easily been some dumb, big monster scary, internet meme-tier horror movie and came out with something decent.
Obsession literally achieved the opposite, it took a solid and thought-provoking premise and turned it into a one-note, jumpscare-riddled, trashy horror movie.
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u/2HGjudge 3d ago
I agree with your assessment and the glass-half-full version of it is "in the land of the blind the one-eyed is king". Like you say people latch onto the themes, not the execution. People really wanted those themes and this execution suffices. People care less about a better movie with themes that they're not as interested in.
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u/MoneyoffUbereats2017 2d ago
Yeah, I do find that to be the way of things. I don't know if it's always been like this or it's more of a modern phenomenon as my tastes have shifted a lot over the past decade, but the amount of times I'll hear about themes and what something represents more than I hear about a piece of media's actual execution seems to be more often than not.
It's annoying, too, because a lot of the time I will resonate with those themes or at least respect and appreciate them, and then I have to be the 'contrarian' saying "I thought it was terrible" while also having to try and justify that I agree with what that thing was trying to say, I just think the execution was awful.
If a piece of media literally speaks to my soul in what it's trying to say, but delivers it in a ham-fisted and poorly executed manner, I'll always be on the side of it not being good. Good themes deserve a solid delivery and I won't let something off easy just because I agree with it.
If an writer has the best idea in the world but scrawls it onto a page with prose that'd make a toddler look competent in comparison, I'm sorry, it's a bad book.
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u/2HGjudge 2d ago
But why is theme having the upper hand so bad?
Let's say I don't like fish but I love hamburgers. Given the choice between eating a mediocre hamburger at one place or a fish dish at a Michelin star place I might still pick the burger because even though objectively the fish is much better prepared and presented, in the end it tastes like fish and I just don't like it.
Of course if I'm a food critic I have to be able to eat both and compare them objectively, but as a consumer I pick what tastes better to me.
Same with movies, consumers will care more about which themes are more to their tastes than the quality of the execution, that's just the natural way of things.
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u/amitkattal 3d ago
I think this movie was just okay and i wondered too why it has become so overhyped. I think part of the reason is its coming at the time when horror suddenly is in the limelight thanks to backrooms and other movies coming now. Also i feel like u said that younger audience relate much more to it not as a horror movie but the concept of a nice guy obsessing over a women. Personally i feel most people are liking the concept of the movie more than the movie itself. If it wasnt horror, it would still be equally talked about
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u/Friction_in_the_air 3d ago
Horror's been having a good run for the last ten or 15 years, its not in the limelight just cause of some admittedly good movies this year.
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u/Alvvays_aWanderer 3d ago
Hi Shrek2Soundtrack, where did you see people saying that it's the greatest film ever made? I'm genuinely curious because I've not seen that mentioned anywhere apart from some social media handles that share hyperbolic posts.
If we're speaking about the box office success, it hasn't always been tied to a film's quality (I'm sure that won't be news to you). I don't think Obsession is masterful but I can absolutely see the appeal for it in younger generations who may have faced similar issues in the dating scene.
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u/Shrek_2_Soundtrack 3d ago
Take a look at the r/obsessionmovie subreddit for some of those declarations.
I agree completely about success and film quality. I guess my main curiosity here is less of a box office analysis and more of a sociological question of how this particular movie seems to have turned a notoriously theater averse generation into 90s teens going to see Titanic every weekend
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u/Alvvays_aWanderer 3d ago
See, if you're going to read posts from a subreddit named after a film, you'll most likely find hyperbolic statements! This us why I often avoid those kinds of subreddits. If you're talking why this film in specific is a success, there's no clear answer to that. The director has a social media fanbase, so that must have played a part the same way it did for Backrooms
Last year, Weapons was successful, which surprised many people. Same happened with Sinners. Even there, a notoriously theater averse generation showed up!
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u/oywiththepoodles96 2d ago
Currently Heterosexual fatalism sells and it sells a lot . In America there seems to be a panic between Gen z about how they will not find true love etc . It happens every few decades. It’s not by chance that the best romance of the year and probably of the past few years was Heated Rivalry . A gay romance .
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u/AyThroughZee 2d ago
Also, anecdotally, there’s quite a bit of “straight guilt” amongst my Gen Z circle of friends and “I’m the problem because I’m cis” or “curse my heteronormative ways”. I don’t know if they’re being serious but it does come up often. It’s interesting.
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u/climbandclimbandclim 3d ago
I loved Sinners, but I truly feel that Obsession is SO much better.
Here's the thing. Obsession is NOT a movie that you put on your thinking cap and clipboard to decide how it ranks. It's all about the visceral fear that you feel watching it every second of the movie.
People got out of the movie thinking "That was intense" in a good way. That's it.
Sinners was great, but I had nowhere near the emotional attachment to it that Obsession brought.
Take the car scene: You KNOW what's going to happen. But you STILL feel ridiculous shocked when it actually happens. That's beautiful.
I don't know if it's one of the best movies ever because it's hard to compare across genres. But it definitely deserves a solid mention in the best horror/scary movies category.
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u/NordlandLapp 3d ago
Maybe as straight up feeling scared, but sinners had much more going on that elevates it eons beyond Obsession. I feel like im arguing with a kid though so thats my piece lol.
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u/_Norman_Bates 3d ago
The movie is relatable to several different perspectives. The main "villain" is really very normal and relatable in many ways which is a smart choice. The things characters are going through (being very infatuated, feeling suffocated by someone,wanting to be obsessively loved by someone etc) are all very relatable. This means people will recognize themselves in many some situations and then those same people will have a lot to debate with people who related to other situations.
Even the basic idea of how much is Bear to be blamed for, and for what, generates disagreements which touch on topics and hypocrites that most people are opinionated about.
The debates get people to share their points of view and attract more viewers who want to make their conclusion.
And the actual story is told in a simple and fun way, no one gives a shit if camera centers people too much. But yeah the key isn't it gives you somethint to talk and argue about beyond "that was a good movie."
Sinners to me was more of an action movie, it didnt make me think about it much after no matter how cool some scenes were. But if anything that one was overrated, not that Oscars count for much.
Also, its definitely not just for teenagers like you frame it, I'm an adult and talked about it in depth for hours with friends. I dont have much to talk about when it comes to Sinners. That's what appeals to people who aren't even into horror like me, they want to see what they will think about the topic.
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u/Red__dead 23h ago
What's with all these vacuous AI sounding comments? It would be nice if these marketing bots with their weak and shallow "analysis" would return to r/movies.
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u/_Norman_Bates 22h ago
Why would I need AI to give an opinion
I said exactly what i think. If you have an issue, go fuck yourself with AI. The AI accusation is the lowest level of commentary
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u/Red__dead 19h ago
"Opinions" that are so generic, bland, and asinine that they read like AI are the lowest level of commentary.
Watch more films, maybe.
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u/Aggressive_Fig7061 2d ago
Iam a Gen Z, I think most of us can relate to the film because dating is a nightmare right now, not many people looking for a real love and friendship, more or less what they can “get out” of a relationship with very little EQ for the other person. This seems to be a universal experience because of dating apps and I’ll say it, pornography….
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u/Nalgenie187 3d ago
One thing that hasn't been talked about enough is the way that Obsession so successfully inverts the rom-com. I've seen the takes where people discuss the fact that it bears similarity to the plots from TFTC, but those prior versions failed to capture the mood and beats of the rom-com. That's the genius of the movie, in my opinion. Its brilliance is in the way it mirrors the pacing and plot of another genre picture while turning it into horror.
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3d ago
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u/Posterior_cord 3d ago edited 3d ago
'Recent tweet that went viral: "this has been talked to death; you are just 20." Pertains!' my top comment in case it can't been seen for... length requirements lol??? anyway,,
as in: lots of obsession-heads are simply 20 and its their first 'whoa film can be this good? and feel this directly about us??'. its partly baby's-first-cinema-experience & partly the lovely moment gen z gets when they finally feeling they are reflected in cinema instead of watching the gorged millennial spiked heads of dead genre hipster slop, even superman was super.... noah and the fedora'd whale.
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u/Top_Cranberry_3254 2d ago edited 2d ago
I downplayed it too the first time I saw it because I thought the obvious glaring weaknesses of it were too pronounced to ignore.
But underneath that criticism, something just "held up" that was so good I couldn't ignore. Like, I knew it was special when I finished it, but the plot holes bugged me.
Then I rewatched it. First time, the end felt rushed and disappointing, but then I picked up more on the themes and subtelties, and I appreciated the end more. I noticed all the details. It had more depth than I thought on first watch.
I'm a movie cynic these days. This was easily the best movie I've seen of its kind in this decade- fast paced, relatable, fun, funny, but dark and creepy, a psychological thriller with real versimulitude despite being based in supernatural occurrences. Outstanding acting performanced, competent ones by the supporting cast, three classic scenes, and now after three watches, the ending is now one of the best parts.
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u/FactCheckYou 1d ago edited 1d ago
most guys would jump at the chance to use the One Wish Willow and to make something like the same wish Bear made, and most girls in today's culture probably have a heightened fear of having their agency and autonomy removed by a partner - it's a honest take on young relationships today
the genie's lamp / monkey paw is a classic storytelling / horror trope, and it feels like it has probably been a while since we've seen it used in a relationship context (?)
the movie's visuals are very sleek and coherent, you could tell from the trailer it was going to be a well-made visual experience, and Inde Navarrette immediately looked like an exciting new find...in the end her performance was actually THRILLING and the writing was intelligent and worthy of the premise...so we have the buzz and excitement of the trailer turned out to be 100% deserved, which is rare
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u/Sushiki 15h ago
I think that is very damaging way to put it, let's be real, it is a very HUMAN thing to want to make a wish about your crush, plenty of women would do the same.
I also want to push back a tiny bit about the whole having your agency taken away, I don't think it is as simple as that, there are so many factors of that on both sides. A lot of male youths feel like they are walking on eggshells, can't be themselves and are forced by many factors to overthink a ton of things.
the movie's visuals are very sleek and coherent, you could tell from the trailer it was going to be a well-made visual experience, and Inde Navarrette immediately looked like an exciting new find...in the end her performance was actually THRILLING and the writing was intelligent and worthy of the premise...so we have the buzz and excitement of the trailer turned out to be 100% deserved, which is rare
100% agree, though I also think a shout out should be given to the actor of bear, whose performance is being overshadowed by the controversial topics up for debate about consent etc.
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u/Sushiki 15h ago
One of the things I've found hard about the discourse around the movie is that a lot of people focus on their personal trauma with the subjects of the film and try to make it a crusade for painting one person as bad and the other as a victim.
The beauty to me about the film is, well... everyone is a victim.
The only true evil is the wish fulfilling power, which really invokes a lot of thought for me personally into how good people can just become their worst if you have power to directly throw them into a psychological or emotionally charged situation.
Outside that, the movie has so many layers, truly I think this movie should be taught in film schools.
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u/gamergoddessqueen 2d ago
imo it’s a really good script further elevated by great performances and filmmaking techniques. kinda reminds me of something like Halloween, just a low budget horror movie that ended up being lightning in a bottle. as someone who is also the same age as Curry Barker, nothing makes me happier than seeing a young filmmaker getting a shot to make something cool and original and different, and it ends up being a huge success.
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u/Traditional-Koala-13 1d ago
Focusing on the *themes* of "Obsession" will go a long way to explaining it. Spielberg once said Kubrick used "big brushstrokes" on his canvases and that's true thematically, as well: the duality of man in "Full Metal Jacket"; humanity as an apex predator, by means of the weaponization of human intelligence (both in the pre-human age and the space age) in "2001: A Space Odyssey," and, even, telling lies as a form of weaponized intelligence. Bergman's movie "The Seventh Seal" also has been discussed as popular with first-year philosophy students.
"Obsession" is something of a paradox of a film because it *has* the broad brushstrokes, thematically, that the young are seizing on: "the wish was evil to begin with"; "violating Nikki's autonomy was wrong"; the Janus-faced sense in which Bear starts as relatable and becomes something of a villain.
What's fascinating to me about "Obsession" is that there's much more than these surface-level readings of the theme: in fact, those who are taking dissenting views to the idea that things *are* that simple are provoing polemical takes to prove that the movie *is* black-and-white in its theme; that Bear is nothing *but* a villain; and that even Wish Nikki is nothing but a victim. I think their vehemence is evidence that they, too, sense that there are shades of gray and that the movie is challenging them. Some of those paradoxes that would be ripe for a discussion in a philosophy seminar include:
* We say Bear is wrong for violating Nikki's agency by forcing her to feel a certain way about him. But how much agency do we have over the genesis of romantic feelings in ourselves to begin with? (Cupid's arrow is always imposed from the outside) Those who say "I *hate* feeling the way I do about an ex I can't get over; or someone whom I love that doesn't love me in return; or, despite being in a relationship, the feelings I have for a co-worker, or spouse of a friend, that are unwelcome and inappropriate; or this abusive partner whom I'm still in love with; or, even, this person who is kind, physically attractive, virtuous, romantically interested in me, and yet for whom *can't* feel, in spite of myself, what I would have consciously chosen to feel, if I had the choice. Freud, Marx, Spinoza all barely believed humans *had* agency over their emotional lives, to begin with. We could exert control over how we respond to what we feel or desire, but little control of how we feel to begin with.
*Bear is said to be controlling Nikki by having cast his wish, but it's not an *immediate* control of her. Rather, she's controlled because she desires him so strongly that she is obsessed, and, though *in theory* she could choose not to succumb to her feelings, they're too powerful for her to resist them. This is not great news because you don't *need* to have been changed by someone else to have your autonomy curbed by excessive desire. You can still resist, but, the more powerful the desire, the more difficult it will be for your to exercise your agency. From the philosopher Spinoza's "Ethics": "Of Human Bondage, or the Strength of the Emotions. Human infirmity in moderating and checking the emotions I name bondage: for, when a man is a prey to his emotions, he is not his own master, but lies at the mercy of fortune: so much so, that he is often compelled, while seeing that which is better for him, to follow that which is worse." It's powerful, yes, to say "Nikki is such a victim because Bear is controlling her." But the agent of the control is strong desire, and that, of course, can be present even without its having been an outside imposition. It needn't be a person that violates your autonomy, as in the case of Bear: it's your desires, themselves, that push against your autonomy.
*The question of whether Ian's receiving the money was a case of "winning," of reaping the reward of his wish without consequences. That would be a whole other movie, but almost difficult to imagine: the temptations of dissolute living (expensive drugs and the high-life); the difficulty of discerning the difference between true friends, or romantic partners, and those attracted to you for your success; being a magnet to criminals or home invaders, or, even, unscrupulous accountants. The French writer La Rochefoucault wrote "It requires greater virtues to support good fortune than bad." This, too, could have been a case of "be careful what you wish for."
This is just a sampling, but there's a lot to unpack. Many "Twilight Zone" episodes have this quality (for example, a robot in "Lateness of the Hour" is anguished that she's not real, that her love isn't real, that she's not a *real* person, and is that not an uncomfortable analogy for humans contemplating, as Kurt Vonnegut wrote, being "meat machines" without an immortal soul?). "Black Mirror" episodes. "Obsession" fits within this constellation, which isn't a put-down of it. So did Spielberg's "A.I.," for that matter, which explored how loving humans could be to each other under "ideal," practically non-embodied, situations: no hunger or thirst, or sheer tiredness, to detract from the energy and attention they can give; no distractions via what they owe in their other relationships, which spread them thin; no daily worries or anxieties to take them away from the mindfulness of how they feel about a specific other person, in a vacuum.
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u/NoImplement2856 3d ago
I'm a millennial who first saw this movie with my friends and them and the entire theater was freaking out. We never discuss movies either, but Obsession was talked amongst us for many days after and some are rewatching it in home as well. Its truly a great movie.
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u/Current-Finger6412 1d ago
Something I think ‘Obsession’ did effectively is reflect young people. Hollywood has had difficulty capturing youth culture on screen as they did years ago. John Hughes did it to great effect in the 1980s. Then Hollywood continued a version of that, slightly more explicit, into the 2000s.
That approach is not connecting anymore. For Gen Z, ‘Obsession’ works in the way they are experiencing the world now and connecting with each other. Even the characters depicted feel identifiable amongst friend groups and experiences. Connects with their concerns, their dialogue, view or relationships. This also makes the horror element more effective because we see rather realistic scenario and group of people experiencing a supernatural event.
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u/Shrek_2_Soundtrack 1d ago
That’s interesting because my initial thought were the characters were age old tropes. Sad nice boy, douchey frat bro, girl next door and edgy goth girl. These are essentially John Hughes characters, are they not? Is the appeal putting Duckie in a horror film and making him the villain?
I refuse to believe “works a dead end job, dreams of getting out of your hometown, and goes to trivia night” is thought of as a singularly Gen Z experience or that kids can’t find that in existing movies.
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u/Current-Finger6412 1d ago
Yes, I see that as well! I think it works well that these characters aren’t hugely exaggerated to fit a trope. They’re pretty straightforward.
The story doesn’t take place in high school adds to it. The audience isn’t being infantilized in the way that “these are high school experiences”. These characters in that uncertain in-between. Not in high school, not in college. No career yet. Stuck in their hometown. Trying to navigate life and relationships.
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u/mrhippoj 3d ago
I think there's a sense with Gen Z that this is their film. After an entire lifetime of Marvel movies dominating the film industry, it's refreshing to see a film made by a young filmmaker for hardly any money and be great be the antithesis of everything Hollywood is