I find some of the smartest individuals I often relate to are comedians or those who fall under the lens of a comedic thought process. The understanding of a striking, self-aware balance is hard to achieve, especially in film and writing when genres clash, particularly with subject material played seriously. What’s happening is terrible, but even in terrible moments, things are just funny. Watching people get hurt is a massive form of entertainment humans consume. Comedy is a great tool because it is able to take situations and moments that aren’t funny or are outright bad and shed light on them. Obsession takes hold of a mean idea and never lets go of it, becoming nastier and more intense as time progresses. Yet there are so many moments where you find yourself laughing, often uncomfortably, which is rarely something that hits for me. The insane scenes and situations that play out here aren’t funny, but the balance of comedy within a negative scenario is masterful from Barker, especially considering his background. Curry Barker delivers an incredible film, one that will be discussed throughout 2026 and beyond. Woven through a tight script, heightened scenes throughout each act, and performances that achieve the best parts of Obsession, it is another entry in the low-budget horror genre from a filmmaker establishing his name moving forward.

Curry Barker’s Obsession is one of those impressive debuts where a filmmaker is given a very small budget, which ultimately improves the film. It feels contained and claustrophobic, operating within minimal set locations established early on, making the audience feel uneasy past the halfway mark no matter where they are or who they are with. Everything feels overwhelming because of the situation being played out, as our pathetic main character only makes worse and worse decisions, driving the film into a spiral of insanity for himself and everyone involved.

Obsession follows the main character, Bear, who desperately wishes to fall in love with his friend and coworker Nikki. Bear ends up purchasing an item from a small shop in town called the One Wish Willow. After an awkward moment with Nikki, Bear snaps the One Wish Willow and wishes Nikki loved him more than anyone else in the entire world. The One Wish Willow’s biggest strength in Obsession is the presentation Barker gives it: an item that we know as much about as the main character does. The depths of what is involved with this supernatural item are not disclosed, and that’s what gives the film added intrigue. From Bear’s point of view, we get to see all of the side effects this item has on the individual it is cast upon. The hold the One Wish Willow has on Nikki makes your skin crawl as the real Nikki slips back into consciousness for a few seconds at a time in frighteningly horrific ways.

For Obsession to work as a film, the main anchor is the character of Nikki, who is written in a way that demands a performance capable of carrying much of the film. Actress Inde Navarrette goes above and beyond with a powerhouse performance that will end up being one of the year’s best. With a small list of acting credits under her belt, Barker was strategic in his casting choice, choosing someone who is able to flip back and forth from charismatic and likable in the beginning to obsessed and bone-chillingly psychotic. Navarrette will most likely not be nominated for any major awards towards the end of the year, but the opportunity she got with Obsession will launch her career hard from this point forward, with many major roles, I would expect. It is great to see actors given strong material and direction in order to give it everything they have. Her performance feels so guided and precise that you can tell she and Barker worked closely together to deliver it. It’s clear Nikki is the standout character of the film, but that’s not to discredit actor Michael Johnston, who plays Bear and serves as the film’s lead. Johnston makes for a great awkward, shy, and ultimately pathetic creep near the second half of the film. His character, having settled into some type of understanding of the situation, continues onward through scenes that are downright sickening because of the actions he takes.

The character of Bear is essentially someone who blindly convinces himself that what he is doing is consensual. Nikki’s actions, the ones he wished for, are hers. Bear’s character embodies someone who takes advantage of a girl through drunken behavior, drugging, and rape. Maybe at first he doesn’t fully understand the consequences, yet later on he is fully aware. The real Nikki is able to slip through while the other Nikki is asleep. She begs for him to kill her, yet he walks away and ignores her pleas. There is no doubt Bear is the main antagonist of the film, becoming a fully disgusting character in the end once he understands what he has done. Barker is obviously creating a story centered on men taking advantage of women, consent, and rape, as portrayed through several scenes, while also establishing a balance with subject matter tackling relationships in general. Nikki’s character, in some sense, portrays BPD, mental health struggles, and toxic relationships. It’s hard to convey this point given the stance related to Bear’s character; however, Barker is able to accomplish this in a respectful way through how Bear is written. Their relationship continues to spiral to the point of the real Nikki attempting to kill herself, yet Bear stays with her. At no point does he attempt a resolution that is realistic. Throughout the film, the insanity goes well beyond anything a normal person could even handle, yet Bear, through his decision-making and obsession with Nikki, becomes the real driving force.

Obsession is one of the more intense films I have seen in quite some time. The horror elements are very creative and truly frightening considering the limitations the film is given. Barker has such a knack for making Nikki someone who makes your skin crawl from the moment she is taken over. Early on, there is a scene where Nikki is standing at Bear’s door covered in darkness, yet there is a small light cast onto her eyes, making her presence so effective from the start. Later on, my favorite scene in particular shows Bear sleeping alone around 3 AM as he tries to find Nikki in the dark bedroom. She is shrouded in darkness in the corner, and through some great filmmaking, the way she moves through the room is something I am still thinking about. All of these scenes, some of the most frightening things I’ve seen on screen this year, are still funny throughout, which makes the balance all the more impressive. Not all of the scenes are “funny” per se, with some simply making me smile or chuckle uncomfortably, almost as if I’m trying to make myself feel better about how uncomfortable I am.

I think Obsession is already one of the best films of the year, and I believe it will still hold that title by the end. It is an incredible delivery from Curry Barker, full of originality and creativity that audiences maybe only receive a few times per year. Obsession is so refreshing to sit through in a theater, ESPECIALLY if you have a good audience. The horror genre is flooded with films because it is the easiest and cheapest genre to get into, which is why it is always so great to see a director come in with such demanding confidence and spark something remarkable.