Obsession, the movie which seemed to grab attention over this past summer. I didn't watch it at first, it seemed like a less interesting version of Supernatural season four episode eight. That said however, I couldn't truly knock it without giving it a watch; I gave it a spin, so now I can knock it. It's not this grand deep narrative about consent or anything beyond a longwinded gorefest— where visually, it's well done but in terms of plot only surface level. In a way, it reminded me of the X trilogy movies with how those pull on the pathos and make you both love and hate the main characters, drawing you in and longing for more; except with Obsession, the character(s) by and large are not so easily liked and the most 'uncomfortable' part about the movie is sitting through it in one go without being bored.
Okay, that does seem a bit unbalanced, I will admit.
What the movie does mixes The Monkey's Paw with the tale of Jesse and Jane from Breaking Bad, that has many viewers who can't see beyond surface level assumption think it's a black and white narrative with Bear being this conniving rapist. Such is a wrong assertion based on actually watching the movie. Even before the wish for Nikki to fall in love with him is made, she already displayed a pattern of behavior that centered all of Bear's attention on her in a way that seemingly knew on some vague level but also oblivious to the whole of it. Like Jesse Pinkman bringing substance back into Jane's life then, Bear's wish acts akin to the MDMA which it's noted that Nikki struggles with using; the heroin for her serving as an extenuating factor as well as Bear's wish on what was an assumed gag gift. It is here where the online political commentator and content creator President Sunday makes the succinct point that Bear is as much a victim of the wish made with what was by anyone's mind at first nothing more than a gag gift, but like heroin they all fall under its spell by proxy. Similar to the Monkey's Paw, they fulfil the wish, and not to ruin the story, but it doesn't turn out well.
Both heroin and the wish exacerbate the tendencies of Jane and Nikki, who escalate the circumstances; while Jesse and Bear try to make sense of, as well as mediate the circumstances. The issue is its own escape. None of those involved in the story wanted any of the results to happen, though arguably with Jesse and Jane the overdose was logically conclusive.
Ultimately, Supernatural did it better and in only a bit over 40 minutes. Obsession builds suspense to fill time.
