Obsession

“Then why does it matter?” -Nicki Consider me Obsessed. It’s a good sign when I feel the need to see a movie twice in such rapid succession. I got close with Sinners but as of today the only other movie I've done this for has been Longlegs, a movie I consider one of the best of the decade. It’s odd because I wasn’t quite sure as to what degree I liked this movie when I had first seen it but without any kind of external reinforcement my opinion of it grew until I was running back to the theaters for round two. Despite how funny this movie is I didn’t even fathom that you could consider it a horror comedy until my second viewing because this movie is chalk full of some of the most unnerving scenes I’ve had to sit through, all in a movie with very carefully calculated uses of violence. I had the privilege of sitting in on a packed late afternoon showing of this movie and the crowd was laughing left and right and all in between moments of genuine tension, a blend that can be a tough manage without compromising a cohesive tone. And while it' s a given that a movie watched with itself back to back won’t have the same level of impact the second time around I still found myself not only smiling through it but also feeling a lot of that unnerve. Delving into spoiler territory this movie has what I'd say is the most impactful death in any movie, horror or otherwise. Sarah’s death had me covering my mouth for a good minute. You know her fate is sealed as soon as you see her text but it doesn’t make what comes next any less gut wrenching as Megan Lawless does a great job at ingratiating herself with the audience despite limited screentime. I’d much rather a horror movie curate its instances of violence than attempt to desensitize you to them and this movie does just that with its limited cast and kill count. And I can’t talk about this movie without discussing Inde Navarette and Michael Johnston’s brilliant performances. While yes I could go into how they excel in the plethora of comedic and tense instances in this movie I feel they, but especially Inde, also make this movie a good drama on top of all that. In the moments in which Nicki feels more lucid you forget this movie isn’t a straight drama which makes the snap into her more uncanny state far more unsettling. She also does a brilliant job establishing pre-transformation Nicki’s personality in such a short amount of time in order to understand just how much of who Nicki is is gone, a transformation so severe even when she’s acting “normal” you can tell just how deluded Bear is because you see how sparingly that initial personality in her past that point. And I feel I should add, Inde does well at establishing the type of relationship she has with Bear prior, because she clearly very much cares for him, so the change is more nuanced that “now she loves him” and now that “the version of Nicki that Bear desires fundamentally isn’t her”. Bear will gladly settle for an approximation of her that barely shows resemblance from her than if it means sidestepping potential discomfort. Bear alternatively gets his own chance to show his split upon his wish. We see him not only willingly forget his role in making Nicki the way she is but also desperately trying to cling to this bastardized version of love that he’s created despite all the pain it causes. I didn’t think he’d redeem himself however any hope I might’ve had was lost as when Nicki pleads in her sleep for death of all the things he could’ve said he jumps to defensiveness and in my eyes just solidified the need for retribution. It's a moment that feels like it was pulled from An American Werewolf in London, the friend stuck in limbo, pleading for an end to this curse by terrible means. And in this scenario it’s not even him who necessarily has to die, however in his selfishness he condemns Nicki to suffer the consequences of his actions. Now I sat through Marty Supreme, and even if Bear is a far less overtly antagonistic character who feels more grounded in reality, Bear takes the cake for most infuriating and morally reprehensible protagonist of the decade, not because of poor writing but because of well crafted writing. And knowing that moment in which he tries to save himself at the last second is one of Michael’s additions makes me realize just how great this cast was in shaping their characters. I think the anticipation I had built for this movie despite 0 spoilers was well worth it and I urge anyone who hasn’t seen this movie in theaters to do so promptly. Brilliant cast, brilliant writing, brilliant atmosphere, see it on the big screen while you can.