Mubi Monday: Obsession (1976)

Although I haven't actually seen every film directed by Brian De Palma, even still missing out already on a few that I have owned for years, I am so familiar with his general style, and his biggest hits, that it's always a surprise to come across something from him that I had previously not watched. Such was the case with Obsession, a film that I finally made time for because I wanted to spend some time with the director fully indulging his love of classic Hitchcock.

Obsession will be very familiar to those who have seen Vertigo. It doesn't come close to that film, although you wouldn't know that if you just judged it by the superb Bernard Herrmann score, but it's impressively twisted and dark by the time things clash together in the third act.

Cliff Robertson plays Michael Courtland, a businessman who suffers a great tragedy when his wife (Geneviève Bujold) and daughter are kidnapped. The attempt to pay the ransom money goes wrong, leaving Michael quite distraught. Jump forward a number of years and things are relatively back to normal. Michael continues to be in business with his partner, Robert La Salle (John Lithgow), and the two have a chance to make some big profits. But Michael starts to refocus when he meets a young woman named Sandra (Bujold once again), someone almost identical to his dead wife.

Written by Paul Schrader, from a story idea worked on by himself and De Palma, Obsession is a fun and well-paced thriller that, like the best De Palma movies, really doesn't hold back during an ending that will have you thinking about it long after the end credits have rolled. It's surprisingly restrained in some ways, and I admit that I was hoping for some of that patented De Palma audaciousness, but as an exercise in sugar-coating an exceedingly bitter pill it takes some beating.

Bujold is quite fantastic in her dual role, although she doesn't have to do as much in the earliest scenes, and she's bold enough to trust the writing and direction when it asks her to commit to one or two moments that come very close to being absolutely ridiculous. Lithgow is a lot of fun in his role, and there's obviously a good actor-director relationship here that would allow them both to have a lot of fun in a number of better collaborations. The weakest link is Robertson, who lacks any energy or passion. He looks as if he's wandered in from the set of some nearby soap opera, completely unprepared for anything that requires him to display some strong emotions. 

It's not the best Hitchcock homage. It's not the best De Palma thriller. It's not even the best De Palma thriller that seemingly exists simply to be a Hitchcock homage. It's an enjoyable and enjoyably strange feature though. I expect most fans of those involved will have already seen it though, but anyone else could do a lot worse than setting aside a bit of time for it.

6/10

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Obsession (2026)

There was a big part of me that was resistant to Obsession, a horror film that not only completely won me over throughout the runtime, but one that will certainly be battling for a spot near the very top of any list when I rank my favourite films of this year. I'm glad I didn't let my biases stop me from getting along to enjoy a fantastic cinema experience with this one, and maybe it's time for me to accept that people who started on YouTube have simply spent time in a decent training ground for their journey into making movies. Although I'll always be wary whenever something gets hyped up as the latest must-see horror movie of recent times. Sorry, I've just been burned too many times by the hyperbole.

Having said that, ummmmmm, Obsession is actually the latest must-see horror movie of recent times. It's genuinely great in a number of ways, and I'd even allow it to be credited to writer-director Curry Barker as an outstanding feature debut (because Milk & Serial, as good as it was, just about crawled over the one hour mark, and feels like an important bridge between shorts and features).

Michael Johnston plays Baron AKA Bear (a nod to the popular opinion of women so often rushing to take a chance with a bear ahead of a man?), a young man who is in love with his long-time friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Unable to tell her his true feelings, he instead makes use of a novelty named the "One Wish Willow". Obviously. Wishing for Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world, he is stunned when his wish comes true. That's not necessarily the good thing he thought it would be though. Not at all.

Walking a very fine line between constant unpleasantness and darkly comedic entertainment, Obsession is a film that is all the better for the fact that it could have easily been so much worse. My one problem with it was the sound mix, with Rock Burwell's score rising so high at times that some dialogue is very hard to hear. I understand the decision though, and that sound mix works to add to the oppressive atmosphere, but it's the one thing that didn't work for me. Everything else is pretty much perfect.

Johnston and Navarrette both do brilliant work in the lead roles, the latter going through an impressive range of emotions, in the kind of performance that would be more recognised by critics if not placed in a horror film, while the former tries to keep playing up his "niceness" as it becomes increasingly clear just how problematic and bad his character actually is.  Cooper Tomlinson and Megan Lawless are also very good, playing two friends who become concerned by the situation they see playing out before them.  

The person to praise most is Barker though, considering how well he puts the pieces together in order to remove any ambiguity here. Despite how fantastical the premise is, and where it goes, things are grounded in a reality that will be recognised by many, and there are numerous reminders that what we're watching is an example of someone "nice" making the most of an opportunity to be with someone he desires without gaining consent from them. It's specifically mentioned in different scenes, but there are also a couple of important plot details that underline exactly who the main villain is, and how their actions go from bad to worse, creating a spiral that will undoubtedly turn things hellish and deadly for everyone around them.

Obsession will have you tense and laughing at the same time. It will have you thinking about what's playing out onscreen in a way that inevitably puts the idea of consent at the forefront of your mind. It will have you considering what Navarrette will do next to showcase her major talent. You might just end up loving it more than any other film in the world. For a while, anyway. 

9/10

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