We all have heard of “Obsession.” Whether it’s because of the extremely low budget of only $750,000, the fantastic acting from Inde Navarrette (who plays the main character Nikki), or the memes in poor taste that rose after its theatrical release in early May, everyone and their mother knows this movie. But as one of the best superhero stories once stated, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and a movie that started as a societal take on toxicity within what we deem “love” soon turned into a victim-blaming “joke.”
In case you’ve been living under a rock, “Obsession,” directed by Curry Barker, tells the story of a young man named Bear, played by Michael Johnston, who struggles with unrequited love in a tale as old as time. He believes that he is in love – or at least has a romantic liking – with his friend, Nikki. Despite knowing that she doesn’t feel the same, he finds a vintage toy called the “One Wish Willow,” which claims to grant any wish the user asks for. And, you’ve guessed it! Bear wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone else, and, congrats, you’re two for two, because this seemingly harmless desire eventually ruins everything.
Described as a supernatural horror movie, there are understandably triggering elements, whether it be gore or sexual assault. It is important to note that Freaky Nikki – the self-proclaimed nickname given to the post-wish persona of Nikki – and Nikki are two separate beings, made evident by some instances of the true Nikki trying to break through the possessed shell, in some later cases either begging to be killed or attempting suicide overall. From this, one can infer that while she may not have autonomy over her body, she is present in every moment.
So, what’s the big deal? Plenty of memes have been created from movies with dark topics. “It” and the Pennywise dance? The abundance of “Scream” parodies? Reaction photos from “Unfriended: Dark Web”? Yes, it would be ridiculous to claim that making jokes out of the media with any form of serious content is bad, and that whoever is creating and spreading said jokes should be ashamed of themselves: the key is what the movie is about.
As established, this movie contains sex scenes in which Bear has, on the surface, consensual intercourse with Nikki. But if you are actually paying attention, the true Nikki is clearly not okay with it, and Bear knows. With the little blips of Nikki coming through, scared and confused, it is made evident that Bear is completely aware of Nikki’s new lack of freedom, which he takes advantage of. Throughout the movie, Nikki is trapped in a body that is no longer hers, being forced to watch and feel every action with absolutely no control over what happens.
So, as a basic empathetic exercise, imagine that was you: imagine if you were raped by one of your closest friends on various occasions and then forced to kill your other friends, effectively ruining your life. Would you want people to make jokes about your experience? No, of course not! So, why are people turning this social commentary, meant to discuss and reveal the dark yet unfortunately realistic side of modern dating and “love,” into a gag?
On top of the TikTok audios and weird dances created from said audios, countless people feel sorry for Bear, the man who genuinely wished that his friend, who had zero romantic or sexual interest in him, would be madly in love with him and drop everything to exist only as his partner. To play devil’s advocate, obviously he didn’t think the wish would come true, and when he broke the One Wish Willow, he was down in the rejection dumps. But that’s as far as I can defend him, because, as established, he continues to rape and remain with Nikki despite the red flags that are indicative of her possession.
As for the scapegoating aspect, the main culprits behind this general conversation in which Bear is painted as the victim are real-life Bears: people who blame women for the consequences of men’s actions. Claiming that Nikki is at fault and is the reason why these people ended up dead is just the dramatized truth behind misogyny in dating culture. These people cannot comprehend that maybe they’re the problem – I know, crazy thought – so they project their insecurities online through popular media. They are unable to acknowledge their lack of basic human compassion, so they take every rejection as a personal attack, exert their energy on random people on the internet, and either try to use a fictional story to support why they’re the real victim in this world, or, more simply, defend Bear to their dying breath because they see themselves in him.
The issue I have – and I hope you do too – isn’t with making jokes out of dark media, but rather the complete erasure of an actual problem that “Obsession” was attempting to criticize, which, in a way, puts said problem on blast. If the entire point of “Obsession” is to show what happens – dramatized, of course, it’s Hollywood after all – when someone’s desire for a person becomes more important than another’s autonomy, then what does it mean if a large consensus decides that they’re the villain?
A couple of years ago, there was a viral discussion about whether women would rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear. Women would often choose the bear, claiming that the worst thing that could happen to them is that the bear would kill them out of their basic animalistic nature, which, according to them, pales in comparison to the worst thing a man could do to them. Of course, I gave it some thought those few years ago. Who wouldn’t? But as I resurrect that controversial conversation now after watching “Obsession” and its aftermath, I’m left with one thought: Is neither an option?
