🦇

the fact bear only tried to cancel his wish after being told he couldn’t alter it (and, seemingly, because he was uncertain about how real nikki’s love actually was) - instead of wanting to do that from the start, as soon as it was clear that something was wrong with nikki - makes me so, so devastated for her. it’s clear he was more concerned with what he was getting out of the wish, rather than the detrimental effect it was having. and like, everyone could tell something was up with nikki, it’s not as if it wasn’t clear. him hanging up the phone as soon as nikki is out on the line (screaming) is so symbolic of how he is completely ignoring how he is ruining her life throughout the film

the most horrific part of obsession is that it is an allegory for sexual assault and how it ultimately damns the victim and holds them responsible for what happened TO them. bear is nothing short of a rapist. he takes away nikki's autonomy completely and enjoys the "benefits" of what the wish grants him; unlimited access to nikki, her mind, and her body. a man can take advantage of a woman, rape her, and essentially hold her hostage, but he receives almost no social backlash and takes no accountability. nikki is the one left behind. nikki is the one people look at with furrowed brows. nikki is the one who leaves this situation with no friends, no support, and no one to believe her.

obsession 2026 is mean. nikki gets no reprieve from her nightmare. in her most poignant moment of freedom, the man holding her captive asks her why she doesn’t want to be with him. it doesn’t matter to him that she would literally rather die than live like this. his feelings are hurt! all we know about nikki is that she wanted to be a writer. she had plans and a life outside of the instagram account bear scrolls through, but we aren’t allowed to see that because bear doesn’t care. the narrative is certainly not kind to bear (with good reason), but he gets his out. he’s allowed to kill himself. sure, he didn’t want to in the end, but the fact of the matter is that he makes his escape from the hell he made. it’s nikki who has to live with it all. at no point is she allowed to rest, not even when the movie is over. i think it’s a fantastic movie and a much needed reprieve from the ‘crazy girlfriend’ cliche. that doesn’t change the fact that nikki suffers more than the man who decimated her free will and identity. maybe there’s a message in there about how unfair the world is and how the horror genre is built on women screaming. i don’t know. i stand by what i initially said, though: it’s mean.

Just saw the interview where Curry Barker explained that it's totally possible to get a normal wish from the One Wish Willow, and I love the way they did that so much. The reason Obsession happened isn't because it's trying to twist Bear's desires into something evil. It's not even because he phrased his want wrong. Obsession happened because Bear got his hands on a magic item that could do anything in existence, and chose to force someone to fall in love with him, which is an inherently evil thing to do.