I honestly wish I had just played “Yandere Simulator” for two hours instead.
For those unaware, yanderes are characters appearing in Japanese anime and manga who have a major obsession with their love interest, usually to a violent point. That sort of character is represented in Nikki over the course of “Obsession,” where she’s played by Inde Navarrette. However, the film centers on Baron “Bear” Bailey (Michael Johnston).
Bear has long been wanting to ask Nikki, his coworker at a music store, out on a date, but hasn’t worked up the courage. He finds a solution, though, in a small trinket that says it can grant any wish. He wishes for Nikki to fall completely in love with him, and expects it to do nothing. However, it works better than Bear could have imagined.
“Obsession” is clearly a take on the premise of “be careful for what you wish for,” notably captured in the classic story “The Monkey’s Paw.” It’s a concept that has worked well in shows like “The Twilight Zone” or “The Outer Limits,” and can be applied to movies as well. There was certainly potential for it to work here, too, but unfortunately this flick is a total let down.
This is the sophomore effort for writer and director Curry Baker, who’s back in the horror genre after helming 2024’s “Milk & Serial.” In this effort, Baker’s biggest problem is how his picture handles the character, Nikki. Despite an impressive, dedicated performance from Navarrette, the way the woman is presented in the film constantly takes away from the experience.
Once the wish is set by Bear, Nikki becomes 100 percent fixed on the protagonist, to a disturbing degree. That itself isn’t a bad direction to take, but the film offers no build up to Nikki’s increasingly alarming behavior. Basically, right from the start, Nikki is acting, bizarre. Creepy even.
Aside from a brief montage showing some happy moments between Bear and the woman who now magically loves him, Nikki very quickly acts in troubling ways. As a result, Bear is questioning his decision right from the first act and Nikki’s actions later in the film don’t come across as much of a shock because from the outset, she’s been off.
Baker’s film doesn’t create any tension or suspense because everything has been telegraphed. Had the movie made Nikki appear like the perfect, loving partner who gradually shows signs of violence, jealousy and an extreme personality, it could have added dread and intensity while exploring the mental toll of both her and Bear.
What a viewer gets instead is an exhaustingly repetitive viewing experience of nearly two hours where Nikki will do something frightening, Johnston’s Bear will look shocked or concerned, and then the wished upon woman will apologize. It’s redundant exercise with little intrigue toward the characters, or the dynamics of what people think should be a perfect relationship.
The characters aren’t exactly helped in the acting category, either. Johnston has a few good moments, but for so much of the movie he’s just standing with a perpetual worried look reminiscent of Noah Ringer in 2010’s “The Last Airbender.” Cooper Tomlinson, meanwhile, is downright awful and unconvincing as Bear’s friend Ian.
As previously mentioned, Navarrette puts a lot into this role, and it is commendable. To her credit, she is effectively creepy in a few key scenes. Yet the way Baker navigated the character works against the picture. It also doesn’t help that so much of the supposed fear around Nikki is overemphasized with much too loud of a score.
One can praise Navarette’s performance and also some of the work Baker did on some genuinely freaky moments. However, it’s not nearly enough to save “Obsession.” The rest of the acting is a mixed bag and the premise is mismanaged to the point where watching it becomes monotonous. 1.5 out of 5.
Photo courtesy Blumhouse Productions and Focus Features
