Obsession

Obsession might genuinely be my movie of the year. I love this movie so much. Spoiler warning: Addressing the elephant in the room: Bear. Bear is, of course, the one who makes the wish for Nikki to love him more than anything else in the world. I love that they made it clear that Bear resents Nikki, at least to me. Bear makes the wish out of resentment when Nikki agrees that they are just friends when he drops her off. This is more prominent, however, when real Nikki pleads with him to kill her because she didn't consent to anything that happened since the wish. Bear, instead of giving real Nikki one final moment of peace, gets mad and blames Nikki for him having to make the wish in the first place, by replying "what's so bad about loving me?" This reveals that Bear does not care or even know the difference between real Nikki and possessed Nikki when it counts, because real Nikki, the Nikki he is supposed to want, is just an idea imposed upon her looks. In fact, the only time Bear acknowledges the difference between real Nikki and possessed Nikki is when Nikki embarrasses him or has an outburst. Bear has a fear of embarrassment, which is the underlying reason he made the wish (ie: not wanting to be too sappy or gushy, not wanting to be rejected and leave humiliated) which is prevalent in the infamous restaurant scene and when he and Nikki are at the party. This is why he comes off as closed off to his friends, and is materialized in the movie through his House's door being duct taped shut by Nikki, with him and Nikki stuck inside. (Like his feelings for Nikki refusing to escape despite multiple attempts). This adds to his resentment (at least in my eyes) because he is able to open up to his other friends, even when it's dangerous to, making Nikki stand out because she is unattainable (maybe the reason why he wants her in the first place). Bear also doesn't seem remorseful to the idea that he took advantage of Nikki, because when he calls the One Wish Willow phone number, he asks to edit the wish. He does this to save himself from embarrassment and fear rather than save Nikki. He would rather still have Nikki be forcefully attracted to him, just not crazy, which is another reason I love how Bear is written, as in a character that is hard to empathize with. Also, Bear never loved Nikki, and this is clear at the end when possessed Nikki makes the wish for Bear to love her and Bear's personality switched. Bear only loved the idea of Nikki, and loving the real OR possessed Nikki was and is not what he wanted, he only wanted her to want him. I love the way the themes play out in this movie. For example, the word "No" comes up a lot in this movie, which is a connection to consent and permission. Clearly, Bear did not get consent to do any of this to Nikki, because when Real Nikki is briefly in control, she is disgusted and shocked. When they have sex, Nikki's expression is pure discomfort. Nonetheless, she is forced to participate in this act because of the wish, all the while she is still partially in control of her mind. She is literally watching Bear essentially rape her. Terrifying. The theme of consent also comes up through Bear insisting that he is not taking advantage of Nikki's vulnerable state due to her father's "cancer". Even his friends call him out on this, and Bear insists that this is not what's going on, even though he knows the wish worked: he just took advantage of her possession instead. The emphasis (and foreshadowing) on the Cat was beautifully done as well, with the cat dying at the beginning, the cat clock on the wall reminding Bear why he didn't want to go to trivia during the phone call, Nikki throwing up cat food standing by the door waiting for Bear, the cat's memorial, and the (even more infamous) cat sandwich. They all follow a theme, either the cat itself or eating/consumption. It all leads to one moment: At the end of the movie, Bear takes the pills that the cat got into and dies, reversing the wish. Bear's confusion as to what's happening to Nikki (or what's taking over Nikki) is also materialized due to the darkness shrouding Nikki's face during moments where Nikki switches back and forth from being angry and chilling to being sweet and in love, which visualizes his confusion on what's happening to her. Nikki sees Bear as a brother, not a potential romantic interest. This is shown in the snippet of the story that Nikki read at the party: an incestuous rendition of Hansel and Gretel. This is almost a taunt from possessed Nikki to real Nikki, taking Real Nikki's feelings for Bear and twisting them into what the wish provides. Creepy. Also the way possessed Nikki moves freaked me out... It's so quiet yet so loud and it's so jarring. I've never gotten startled so much during a movie in my life. I left the theatres with tears in my eyes due to how good the movie was. I will brag to future generations that I watched this in theatres the year it came out. It's going to be a classic.