chloelovesfilm

Obsession ( 2026 )

Man or Bear? 

This film really makes me want to go and watch more horror movies. For me to love a horror movie as much as this is rare even though I love the genre it can feel as though many modern horror movies don’t have any deep story telling behind it, it’s all made as goreporn or solely for getting one’s heartrate up and jump scaring the viewer. However, Obsession not only scares you but gives the viewer a lot of room to infer further into the movie and gives room to think about the film and it’s deeper meaning behind it.  

The film itself felt more like an indie horror film rather than just straight horror. It starts off quite slow and builds throughout the rest of the movie, but when it hits the scariest point, it does not disappoint. (THE CAR SCENE.) Throughout the whole movie there’s always this sense of discomfort and phycological mind games that made me squirm in my seat, especially any embarrassing cringe worthy moments. (The party scene.) 

The film takes on three stages Obsession, Projection and Erasure. At the beginning, Bear had this one-sided obsession with the idea of being with Nikki. Obsession then turned into Projection as he wishes that his IDEA (not the real her) of her becomes a reality that he can act on. Once the wish is finalised and becomes reality, Bear no longer views Nikki as human, and he views her as a materialisation of his fantasies and ideas of her. Bear literally acknowledges that this new form of Nikki isn’t Nikki but proceeds anyway, which continues this idea of her to be real while the real Nikki becomes suppressed by Bears fantasy. 

The cinematography within this film is one of my favourite elements in the film as the way this whole movie is shot is so eerie and every detail was really thought out. The cinematography done by Taylor Clemons twists and builds the film into a darker aspect which supports how Nikki is feeling and how she is deteriorating throughout the movie. A specific scene that will genuinely haunt me is when Nikki’s in the corner of the bedroom talking about how she ‘doesn’t like her dreams’ the lighting makes it look as if it isn’t even the same actress which was probably helped with makeup but it also effects the storytelling as it supports the fact that Nikki isn’t the real Nikki anymore. Oh, and the soundtrack to this movie was so nostalgic oh my god when I heard ‘Kids’ by Current Joys. I genuinely froze; I have not heard that song in so long. Side note, I love when horror movies have upbeat songs in their credits, I think that’s when you can tell the movie is actually fucked up. 

The acting in this movie was phenomenal. I loved that it was some fresher faces that I haven’t seen in everything AND more. Inde Navarrette (Nikki) is so gorgeous and her acting genuinely scares the fuck out of me, especially with her quick change of emotions and her impressively creepy smile which really was one of the most rememberable things in the whole film. As for Michael Johnston, I think to be able to play such a villain and still have people on your side in some arguments is so remarkable. Also, the fact that he could make me so mad at his actions helped with the whole film.  

Now time for my insanely personal rant that makes its way into every review: 

Obsession really does separate the morally wrong from (anyone who believes ‘Bear’ or Baren Bailey was the victim.) the morally right people.  

Everyone saying Nikki wanted Bear DID NOT watch the same movie that I did. As sure she maybe had the tiniest hint of feelings for him at the start (If you want to take the disappointed look when Bear didn’t ask her out, cause he’s a PUSSY. That was that scared of rejection he’d rather take away Nikki's personal autonomy) before the wish but it’s evident that after the wish she never wanted him or at least not like that. Throughout the WHOLE movie she obviously didn’t want this for herself. She even went as far as wanting to be killed as she’d rather die than continue to live suppressed in her own body.  

As for Nikki having control over her actions, you cannot be serious. As even more evidence is the fact that real Nikki said, “Don’t wake her.” ‘Her’ referring to someone else (Have you ever seen someone refer to themselves as her?) Also, the polaroids? ‘Me’ and ‘Not Me’ IS THAT NOT ENOUGH? 

For the people saying Ian was at fault for not saving Nikki when making the wish. You get ONE wishes in the whole world, anything you want. Why should you use it to save someone else who chose that wish? It’s not selfish, it’s putting yourself first. Also, he didn’t believe Bear which is understandable because who the fuck would believe a frantic man covered in blood screaming at you that wishes are real? 

Lastly, throughout the whole movie Bear was the villain. From when he first made the wish to the very end, he never displayed any kind of regret until he was in danger, and it didn’t suit him. When he finally tried to do something about the wish, he wanted to ALTER the wish to fit his needs. He could have changed everything by changing the wish in the beginning by saying “I wish Nikki loved me as much as I loved her” no he had to say “I want her to love me more than anyone in the world” he wanted all but didn’t want to give anything in return. And to top it all off him talking about some “What’s so bad about being with me.” He was selfish. Not thinking about what she’s going through and the pain she feels, and he knows she’s in pain. She was hurting herself, she was screaming to get out over the phone, and she would have rather died than continue living how she was living. 

He never wanted Nikki he wanted the idea he made of Nikki and the fact he was holding it back so long and was putting up with the screaming, the terrifying incidents even her COOKING his fucking dead cat. As long as he was getting something from her, he didn’t want to cancel the wish because he was still getting benefits aka he was still getting sex. 

P.S for the man who said “poor guy” when walking out of the cinema I was in, I do hope you never get in a relationship. 

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Love blooms in silence.

In the Mood for love is the most beautiful love story I have ever watched. I don’t watch many foreign films, which is a shame, but I’m so grateful I decided to take the time out of my day and watch this movie. 

The love between the Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen is such an intimate kind of love, and to see that displayed on screen is so special. The story is so well thought out, as Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are in that stage of loneliness where it feels like you have no one to relate to or talk to about how you. But as they find each other, they experience togetherness within that stage of loneliness.

I truly believe that love does bloom in silence. It’s not always some big dramatic declaration that’s consistently used within cinema. Love doesn’t have to be loud; the gentle and quiet love is so unexplored and misunderstood. They fall for each other in silence, in the longing words that aren’t shared. It never feels awkward or forced it feels natural, which is what loving someone should be. It should feel natural. 

What this movie lacks in dialogue it makes up for in emotion through performance and cinematography. The cinematography done by Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-Bing is so satisfying as you can tell each placement of the camera and each light is intentional. Each creative choice expressed emotion in such a clear way that you don’t have to be a film expert to see how the actors feel in each scene. When there isn’t dialogue everything else becomes more noticeable, it’s like when you look at someone who isn’t talking and you begin to notice the small things you otherwise wouldn’t.

Bottoms (2023)

FUN MOVIES PLEASE COME BACK!

I will always defend the point that movies can be inherently good without being cinematic masterpieces. Movies are meant to entertain and provoke emotions; they don’t have to be life changing or deeply philosophical every single time. Don’t get me wrong I love in depth emotional movies that send me into questioning my life but sometimes I want to sit back and watch something fun, and Bottoms is exactly that.

The casting in this movie is PERFECTION. 

Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennot are genuinely one of the best casting duos I could ever ask for. The casting crew knew what they were doing, they really nailed the “gay loser” look and energy. This movie also introduced me to so many actresses, which I’m thankful for because lately it feels like every movie recycles the same faces and big names over and over again. Ayo Edebiri really has my whole heart, her delivery within this movie was so comedically pleasing, she really does deserve all the glaze she gets. 

The dialogue in this movie is a big takeaway for me as it’s genuinely so funny, and I think that it captures the teenage vocabulary well, especially with all the swearing and stupid phrases that sound like English but not really all at the same time. And for all the GROWN men (like my dad) saying they don’t get it, that’s obvious cause you’re NOT the target audience like this is for queer teenagers and woman. 

What really pulls this movie together, though, is the characters. Right now, many movies feel like they’re copy pasting the same personalities over and over with no real quirks, obscurities or individuality. An example of this is ‘Regretting You’ (2025) where the most interesting character was played by Dave Franco and he wasn’t even a main character. It stood out because the details and personality he brought to the role.

In Bottoms, each character feels distinct. The satire aspect of the movie enhances this but still memorable and recognizable. You can tell them apart based on who they are, not just their backstory.

Also, Something I’ve noticed in recent movies especially with female leads is that they’re written to basically be un-cancellable. They can’t say anything wrong, can’t be too messy, and if they do have a flaw which is very uncommon, it’s always something stupid like how they “they care too much” or “they’re too nice.” And villains. They aren’t just bad people anymore they always need some tragic backstory to justify every action, or they’re saved by the power of friendship, but in reality, some people can just be horrible and that’s it. 

What makes Bottoms so refreshing is that it’s main character Josie and PJ can be dumb, impulsive teenagers who don’t think of any consequences. They’re selfish, chaotic, and honestly not great people at times but that’s what makes the characters relatable and fun.

The cinematography done by Maria Rusche in this film is seriously looked over. It might not be some niche, groundbreaking visual masterpiece, but it’s colourful which with the overwhelming infection of Netflix lighting we see today is refreshing to say the least. The colour works perfectly with the costumes done by Eunice Jera Lee, who nailed every look. You can learn so much about the characters just from what they’re wearing especially Josie and PJ, with their awkward, slightly questionable outfits which contributes to the relatable aspects so much more as everyone has had at least one phase where they look back and think “why the fuck was I dressed like that?”

For a movie with little to no marketing or theatrical release, I think this movie succeeds mainly because it actually knows what it wants to be. So many movies right now try to do everything at once multiple storylines, deep themes, big messages and it ends up feeling rushed and messy. Bottoms doesn’t do that. It sticks to its tone and focuses on being entertaining throughout the whole movie. It’s not trying to be perfect. It’s trying to be fun and that’s exactly why it works.

Secretary (2002)

Secretary is and forever will be one of those movies where you get it or you don’t sometimes, I don’t even think I fully understand it but I do understand that many people have different interpretations but many of them are shallow in my eyes or I personally don’t believe their ideas to be true. Many people within their lifetime will watch this movie and write it off as a ‘freaky’, ‘gooner’ movie that’s just ‘artistic porn’, but there’s a different between something Pornographic and something Erotic.

The difference between Eroticism and Pornographic is HUGE as Secretary is eroticism but a movie like 50 shades of gray is pornographic. In movies such as 50 shades of grey, it’s made to ‘shock’ people and treat relationships as a kind of gimmick however in Secretary it’s a lot less about shock value and more about exploring the psychological understanding around submissiveness and how that intimacy can be exhibited within real people. Characters and development are extremely important when comparing these two as in Secretary we see Lee (Maggie Gyllenhall) going from meek, shy and struggling immensely with herself image and self-harm into then becoming happier and more confident within herself to then healing from her mental health through her relationship with Mr. Grey (James Spader). Mr. Grey demonstrated growth as well, as both characters exhibit growth together with communication and experimentation through their actions. Within 50 shades of grey Christian is the instigator and Ana just seems to follow along with what HE wants while not displaying any kind of take or give within their relationship.

As for my personal thoughts I liked this movie and not in a kinky, anti-feminist/anti progressive way. To me it’s about a young woman taking control of her narrative in a ‘different’ way as she becomes more confident and dominant throughout the movie since meeting Mr. Grey and being dominated, because at the end we see Lee becoming the dominant one by standing her ground. We then see Mr. Grey hiding and being shy and running away from what he truly wants, whereas Lee becomes up front and honest, showing that Lee is dominant towards him in her own way. 

As for people saying Lee is a victim and didn’t want it there’s a very key takeaway from the movie that even Maggie Gyllenhall the actress of Lee expressed as it was the scene where Mr. Grey falls over Lee on the desk and the close up lingers on Mr. Greys hand next to Lees. Where Lee then rests her pinky finger over his as this sign of connection and consent in a way that even Maggie Gyllenhaal refers to. Along with Lee staying she took control of her situation she could have left and she knew that but the repetition of routine, the corrections, it functioned not as a punishment but as structure which in turn offered Lee a sense of clarity and safety that contrasts with her early on self-deprecating behaviour She wasn’t a victim she knew that she could leave at any time and her staying was her controlling her narrative.

As for the casting, I genuinely don’t think anyone else could have been casted in this. It was so perfect, as Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader had such amazing chemistry it never felt off putting as the way they played their characters was just so realistic. They were so quirky and awkward, and it never felt overplayed or unrealistic but with other movies, again like 50 shades of grey it just seemed meh it felt like acting and not bonding if that makes sense. Yes, they were both freaked THE hell out in the movie, but they saw each other in ways no one else did which is such a scary and intimate thing to have with someone and the fact they were able to display this so well on the screen is genuinely amazing to me. Also, side note James Spader you’re a real solider for doing so many movies like this we really don’t have enough freaked out actors anymore.