“𝔑𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢”

I genuinely appreciate how obsession doesn't try to frame bear as morally grey but just fully leans into how deplorable he is. a lesser movie would have tried to give him redeeming moments along the way but no, at every single crossroads bear makes the wrong choice. when the customer service rep asks him if he wants to cancel his wish, he says no, and asks to alter it. when nikki, the real one, begs him to kill her, he asks her "if it would be so bad to love him", and right at the end, backs out of killing himself and tries to throw the pills up. he is the villain, not another victim, not a confused, cowardly boy, the villain.

It brings me no end of joy that a Disney released theatrical Star Wars movie (which is basically DLC for a disney plus show but that's another conversation) is getting smoked in its second weekend by two low to mid budget horror movies made by first time directors in their 20s given basically blank check creative control. Things are looking good for the movies these days

So the thing that I think sticks out most to me about obsession (other than the phenomenal acting, sound design, filming and editing of course) is the fact that within the story you can see how it all could’ve been okay. Not the wish, the wish never could’ve been okay, but without the wish. Without Bear’s obsession. The movie makes it so you can see it so clearly. They give you this image in so many ways—they give him these opportunities before and after the wish to choose the right thing, choose the hard thing. But he never does. For example he chose to buy her the one wish willow instead of the citrine necklace. In the movie they’re vague about it but do you know what citrine is good for? Inspiring creativity, giving clarity and motivation. That is exactly what Nikki wants, what she says she wants in the car ride over to her house. It’s what Bear would get her if he actually knew or cared for her instead of the idea of her, if he put more effort in than just the thought. But no, he buys the wish because I don’t think he ever really intended to give it to her because have you ever seen something in a store and really wanted it but you’re there to buy something for a friend so you get it for them and just a small part of you wishes that it won’t end up with them? That it will stay with you instead? You justify it by thinking “well I’m the one who bought it anyway, it’s mine.” Because really it wasn’t for them, it was for you. His gift—his love, it wasn’t for her, it was for him.