“The genius of Obsession isn’t in its concept, but in its execution... it answers what realistically happens to a person’s brain when forced to carry out someone else’s wish.”
This was a film I have been curious to see ever since its popularity blew up out of absolutely nowhere. The entire movie had a budget of only about $1 million, and it’s the type of movie where... you can’t really tell. It feels seasoned, professional, and undoubtedly more expensive than it was. When it came out, word of mouth carried this thing from sea to shining sea, and everyone had to say something about it. I haven’t seen word of mouth carry a film like this in a very long time, so I had to check it out.
My current schedule is so backed up that I’m writing this in July... even though I know my review is set to drop around November of 2026. Needless to say, as soon as I had the ability to check it out, I did. Now, I should also say that once I heard how popular it was becoming, I did my due diligence and avoided the film like the plague until I had the chance to see it myself. I stayed away from reviews. I didn’t read synopses. I didn’t even watch the trailers. I knew nothing about it and went in pretty darn blind. All I kind of figured was that it had something to do with one person being obsessed with another person, given the title. That’s it.
So, I was beyond surprised to see that the plot of the film is simply put... a love spell gone wrong. It’s something we’ve seen, literally, hundreds of times in other movies and TV series, and I’m sure in books and other forms of media as well. It’s a well-known trope. I’ve seen it done in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Craft, Supernatural, Smallville, Midsommar... the list goes on. The director even confirmed he was inspired by an episode of The Simpsons. Past the specific love spell trope, you have an even broader message of being careful what you wish for... which, I mean, obviously. It couldn’t be more on the nose than that... and yet.
And yet... this may be the best possible iteration of a love spell that I’ve seen in a movie or TV show.
I gotta say, though... a part of me watching can’t help but ask... is that it? This film was hyped to the nth degree as the best thing since sliced bread, so I kinda figured it was maybe more original than what it was. Or maybe they took the love spell idea as a foundational point and then evolved it from there... do the Butterfly Effect thing and have him try to wish everything away, only to make things that much worse. Something like that. But no, it’s just a dangerous love spell.
Again, that’s not to say it’s bad. I very much enjoyed this movie. It’s in my top five of the year so far. Not number one or anything, but top five is still pretty darn good. The genius of this film isn’t so much in the concept, but rather in the execution. A lot of other love spell stories, even the best of the best, usually just focus on the “be careful what you wish for” aspect. OBSESSION, on the other hand, does a really good job answering the question: what realistically happens to a person’s brain if they’re forced to carry out someone else’s will or wish?
The writer and director showcased the loss of autonomy and the reality of being under someone’s spell without consent better than anything I’ve really ever seen. It’s terrifying to think about. This guy knows he did something horrible to this woman. At first, he tries to shrug it off because magic isn’t real and the twig was just a toy he used. But the more she kind of glitches here and there... showing there’s something dark going on underneath the surface... the more he realizes he did this to another human being. It’s that realization that I think hits him hardest, because he did this as a lonely, desperate guy who legitimately cared for this woman, and now he’s taking advantage of her.
Not only that, but the rules of the wish state that you can’t do anything about it. You can’t unwish it. You can’t cancel the wish. You can’t alter the wish. You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it.
These characters are endlessly complex. There are things about them you don’t know until the film gets pretty deep into the story, but it all makes sense. There are motivations and agendas that certain people have in this film that all play a part in what happens, and it all ties together nicely through the performances and editing. The cinematography is subtle, but strong, especially for such a lower budget.
If I had any complaints for this film whatsoever, it would be the hype. While the film is extremely good and one of my favorites of the year, there were so many people suggesting this literally should be the number one movie of the year. That it’s that good. It’s that original. It’s that surprising.
I don’t think that’s true. I just think it’s good... it’s very good, and as I’ve said, it’s in my top five. But it’s not original. It operates off of one of the most overdone tropes in supernatural thrillers ever. The execution was less predictable and a lot more complex and deep than what you typically get from something like this, but the premise itself isn’t all that original. So, I would have to say the hype... was a little overkill.
Unbiased / Technical Score: 43/50 (86%)
Biased / Entertainment Score: 46/50 (92%)
Total Combined Score: 89/100 (89% or 4.5/5 on Letterboxd)