〈Obsession〉 Review: A Wish for Love Becomes a Nightmare

The horror breakout that made waves worldwide is finally reaching Korean audiences. Directed by Kerry Barker, 〈Obsession〉 met viewers at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival last July and is set to open on Sept. 2. Seen at an Aug. 20 press screening, 〈Obsession〉—which won such strong reviews from audiences and grossed $200 million in North America—makes clear why it earned that reception. Already strong enough to be talked about as the debut feature of the year and to put Kerry Barker in the conversation as the year’s standout new director, 〈Obsession〉 makes a powerful impression.

Bear (Michael Johnston) has an unspoken crush on Nikki (Indie Neveretti). They work together and are close enough to see each other at friend gatherings, so Bear fears losing that closeness and never confesses. One day, Bear uses a product called “One Wish Willow” that grants wishes and asks for Nikki to fall in love with him. As if by magic, Nikki falls for Bear—but from that point on she displays obsession and disturbing behavior that go beyond love.

A love granted by a wish and the consequences that follow. 〈Obsession〉 presses a remarkably simple premise all the way through. But the film doesn’t stop at the surface phenomenon of “obsessive love.” Unlike the familiar stock types labeled as “yandere” or “menhera,” the way Nikki behaves in 〈Obsession〉 feels subtly different. Nikki sometimes startles with near-convulsive intensity, suggesting that the Nikki who fell in love because of Bear’s wish and the original Nikki are separate. That keeps the film from getting lost in a single obsessive character and lets it combine surreal horror with grounded, realistic terror.

The film’s impact is heightened by the performances of Michael Johnston and Indie Neveretti. Johnston makes you believe Bear’s indecision and, once the wish has worked and Bear is tormented by that coerced love, you become fully immersed in his predicament. From his nervous, fidgety manner in front of the person he likes, some viewers may already sense the tragedy this 〈Obsession〉 foreshadows. Indie Neveretti, who has to play a divided role, pulls off both the irresistible charm that makes Nikki lovable to Bear and the violent affection she inflicts without fully understanding herself.

Still, the film’s greatest achievement is the craft behind the camera—Kerry Barker’s clever direction. The unusual, tall 1.50:1 aspect ratio captures negative space and amplifies the sense that Nikki could be watching Bear from anywhere at any time. Barker also uses composition and in-frame lighting to control when to reveal a character’s face and when to withhold it, mixing what should and should not be shown to stimulate the imagination and heighten fear. Inheriting traits of Blumhouse-style horror, the film excels at the dread produced by things that are actually present. The way it finds oddity and grotesqueness in the human body of a character like Nikki evokes not only horror but also a poignant sadness that occult horror often struggles to reach. The film’s rhythms—how scenes open and close—break audience expectations while still delivering its shocks. Across the runtime you can feel both the inventiveness of a first-time director and the skill of a veteran filmmaker.

〈Obsession〉 is a fine, elegant horror film. One reservation is that some scenes treat the oppressive dynamics of the romantic relationship like satire or farce. Had the film operated as straight horror throughout, it might have more fully exposed the problems embedded in contemporary relationships; instead, moments of overwhelming pressure are sometimes lifted into comedy, which blunts the film’s ability to provoke reflection on those relationships. Of course, that very ambivalent comedy is also one of the things that makes 〈Obsession〉 more entertaining. Still, given the film’s choice of a subject and situations that could easily exist in real life, that criticism will be hard to avoid.

Scarier than ghosts are people, and by turning the romantic line “I love you so much I could die” into genuine horror, 〈Obsession〉 will be in theaters on Sept. 2.