As Curry Barker makes his directorial breakout with Obsession, he’s discussing the movie’s layered themes of consent and communication.
The writer and director of the horror film recently discussed how the character of Nikki (Inde Naverrette) is depicted as both a villain and a victim after her best friend Bear (Michael Johnston) makes a wish that she would love him more than anything in the world.
“Well, we wanted it to feel grounded, and we wanted to really lean into, ‘OK, magic is real in this world, fine. Let’s accept that, let’s move on,'” explained Barker to DiscussingFilm. “And now, what you’re left with is a pretty tragic story about a man and a woman, and leaning into the realism of that was really important to me.”
While Naverrette flawlessly plays Nikki as being possessed by a sinister spirit who’s obsessed with Bear, her performance also includes tortured outbursts as the real Nikki sporadically breaks free from her subconscious to react in horror as her friend takes advantage of the situation.
Now playing in theaters, Obsession also stars Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter.
Curry Barker says ensuring that Nikki is accurately portrayed as a victim in ‘OBSESSION’ was just as important as making her scary in the film.
“What you’re left with is a really tragic story about a man & a woman & leaning into the realism of that was really important.” pic.twitter.com/dQnX94Dqew
Following Barker’s 2024 directorial debut Milk & Serial, Obsession marks his breakout, ahead of a full slate that includes Blumhouse’s Anything but Ghosts and A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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