SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for “Obsession,” now playing in theaters.
The best movie villains inspire empathy or understanding in an audience: Maybe they profoundly believe what they’re doing is right, or have been so damaged by their past that retribution seems like the only way out.
Judging by trailers and posters alone, “Obsession” is about a young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) who accidentally creates a monster when he is granted a magical wish to have his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), love him more than anyone else. Unfortunately, it’s a real “be careful what you wish for” situation, and Nikki’s obsession with Bear becomes more and more extreme.
What’s fascinating is that, very quickly, it’s clear that Nikki’s monstrous impulses are beyond her control, as the “real” Nikki lives buried just below the surface, able to occasionally burst out of a body she is unable to manage. It’s a rarity that the monster in a horror film pivots to be the object of empathy, but Navarrette is an expert at pulling off this unique balance, and her performance is one that should be remembered (and, more importantly, actually considered) come award season.
Navarrette’s strength shows early as Nikki is introduced as Bear’s BFF, who is kind to him but sets unspoken boundaries that it’s a friend zone. Her girl-next-door energy feels perfect for what the audience sees in Bear, and as we begin to see how head-over-heels he is for her, we’re hoping for a connection.
But once Bear makes the fateful wish for her love on his “One Wish Willow,” things abruptly change. At first, Nikki pivots to infatuated partner, suddenly realizing she adores Bear. Their relationship quickly blooms into constant PDA — which grosses out and confuses their buddies — but, except for the occasional maniacal laugh, Nikki appears happy and normal.
From there, things get dark. The key to Navarrette’s performance emerges once it’s clear that she is no longer in control of her body at all, but rather it’s being driven by a created desire to do anything for Bear, often in the worst way possible. Navarrette is brilliant at contorting her face, drawing eerie smiles, massive frowns or any series of off-kilter expressions that read as childlike expressions of love and disappointment. That plays off of her expressive eyes, which often feel like they belong to a trapped Nikki, peeking out at the world but unable to make her path through it.
Some of the film’s most shocking moments are Nikki’s rare moments of lucidity, when she’s able to break free of the spell the “One Wish Willow” has over her. She’ll briefly come crashing down to earth, screaming and raging against her lack of agency, until the feeling is neutralized and her waking self is trapped again in the purgatory to which she’s been banished.
What makes this mix so compelling is that Navarrette is able to play countless conflicting emotions all at the same time, a woman only occasionally in charge of her own body and agency. When her actions get frightening, it’s always compounded by her haunting expressions: frozen in a smile as she waits all day for Bear, maniacal as she’s running around at night or frenzied while attacking a romantic rival. Each moment feels organic and fresh, holding on to different levels of herself as she’s infiltrated by the cosmic hell she’s trapped in. It’s the movement of something inhuman trying on her skin, struggling to remain poised during every challenge posed along the way.
The performance also reverberates long after the story ends. After a darkly comedic moment ends the film, you’re haunted by the idea of what will happen next to this poor woman, who has suffered endlessly due to no fault of her own. It also comes with a sobering realization that Bear, our initial entrance into the world of “Obsession,” was the villain all along.
Navarrette’s work also turbocharges the key theme. “Obsession” is a film about consent, a story where even a normal-seeming nice guy is eager to take what he wants, even if it leaves the woman screaming in protest. It’s not a preachy tale by any means, foregrounding atmosphere and big scares above anything else. But it’s impossible to leave the theater not aching for Nikki and what she’s been through.
In a year after we saw Oscar wins for horror performances like Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners” and Amy Madigan in “Weapons,” it seems award nods (in some fashion) could be possible for Navarrette. Yet there’s plenty working against it: Beyond decades and decades of awards bodies ignoring horror, “Obsession” might not read as thematically rich as “Sinners” or “Weapons,” or feel too niche and brash for mainstream attention. But “Obsession” is proving to be a wide crowdpleaser, with a Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at 94% for both critics and audiences, as well as an A- Cinemascore — all of which are very high metrics for horror. Additionally, social media is filled with reactions praising Navarrette’s role as the key to the film’s success.
Her work is singularly brave and brilliant, standing alongside rich horror performances in recent years like Lupita Nyong’o in “Us” and Toni Collette in “Hereditary.” Voters, don’t make the same mistake you did by ignoring those lauded women.
While Navarrette was best known for her television work on “Superman & Lois” and “13 Reasons Why,” it’s inevitable that her film career is about to take off. Hopefully, she’ll be offered roles as meaty and challenging as Nikki. If so, her Oscar won’t take too long to arrive.
Watch the “Obsession” trailer below.
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