Obsession is a story about abuse, both in all the excellent ways people have already noted and in how it ends - Nikki may have survived physically, but everything else - her life, her self, her future - is in tatters.
She could have been a writer. A free-spirited, imaginative, author. The world was her oyster. She was happy and confident and outgoing.
And then, because one man - ONE man - couldn’t let go of his toxic, all-consuming obsession, all of that is ruined. Her friends are dead, and their blood is on her, but were they really even ever her friends, if they couldn’t even notice that she had changed so drastically ? If one of them could do something so vile to her ?
She could have been a writer. Now she’ll always be nothing more a murderer. Anything else she could be will forever be prefaced by conjunction. Murderer and writer. Murderer and murdered.
Even if, by some miracle, she remains in any fit state to go on after the movie’s climax - if the authorities know of the One Wish Willow and believe her story - she’ll forever be haunted by Bear’s actions. Forever be looking over her shoulder. Forever be doubting every word that comes out of her mouth, every thought that crosses her mind, because what if it isn’t her ? Forever wary of getting too close to another person, lest they take it upon themselves to misinterpret her closeness. Forever afraid of attracting too much attention, for the same.
She could have been a writer, now she’ll always be a victim.
And her friends ? We know she was a popular, well-loved person before the Incident. We know she went out of her way to help others. We know she was charismatic, and confident, and so many other things. Now, she has to live with the fact that none of her friends so much as lifted a finger to return the favour, despite her clearly needing help.
She has to live with the fact that the twisted power of the Willow - of Bear’s obsession - burned all the bridges she had made, embarrassed her in front of so many of her associates. Because even if they accept that the Willow caused everything, every time they look at her, they’ll never again see her.
Because, once, she was a person. Now she’s a victim, or a murderer, or a weirdo. But no longer a person.
origamiaround
germansingergirl
theartofmadeline
