You may not have heard much about Curry Barker, but chances are, that’s about to change.
The 25-year-old writer and director hailing from Mobile, Alabama is so fresh to Hollywood that he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page as of this writing. But his first feature-length film, Obsession, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness track to rave reviews from critics and audience members alike, netting him a $15 million deal from Focus Features for U.S. distribution rights.
Obsession follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a young 20-something guy struggling to profess his love for his close friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). He finds his monkey’s paw in a “one wish willow” stick, which he snaps in half as he wishes for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. As you might expect, that level of devotion comes with some creepish behavior, and Bear suddenly finds himself stalked and tortured by the woman he cares about most.
Instead of serving as a metaphor for something much more painful, Obsession wears its themes on its sleeves – it effectively captures that young, 20-something time when the biggest thing on your mind is how to tell your crush you have feelings, as well as the sometimes inevitable backlash of getting what you thought you wanted. It’s something so integral to growing up, yet so easy to forget as romantic concerns give way to things like mortgages, kids, and career pressures. It also dips its toes into the concept of consent and the line between supporting someone and taking advantage of them, even as a “nice guy.”
It would be a huge disservice to Obsession to say that it’s the second-best comedy-horror film this year about breaking a stick to make violent things happen. But it’s hard not to make flattering comparisons to Zach Cregger’s Weapons, both in terms of the films’ quality and in terms of their respective directors’ career trajectories.
One of the key differences between the two films is that Obsession relies on mostly newcomer actors, but those actors are surprisingly effective. Navarrete in particular executes so well on a part that could cause even the most veteran of scream queens to stumble, and it’s not hard to imagine this film also represents a career-defining breakout for her.
Beyond its performances, Obsession’s tone is a huge part of what makes it so effective. The film leans into comedy regularly enough to disarm its audience, which is no surprise given Barker’s background in sketch comedy. But it also provides no shortage of jump scares. One scene in particular towards the end of the film was so effective that even though I knew the scare was coming well in advance, I almost fell out of my chair when it finally happened. And although TIFF’s Midnight Madness audiences are prone to extreme reactions, I’ll also say that this screening is the first in which I’ve heard people literally screaming throughout.
In a year already packed with horror standouts like Sinners and Weapons, Obsession more than holds its own. For a debut feature, it demonstrates remarkable confidence and vision. Barker has announced himself as a filmmaker to watch, and something tells me his Wikipedia page won’t stay empty for long.
English (US) · 