Obsession is a twisted take on wishes gone wrong (SXSW Review)

On the first day of my trip to South by Southwest, I was able to attend a screening of Obsession, one of my most anticipated films of the year after hearing rave reviews from folks at Fantastic Fest last fall.

Obsession is the sophomore feature film from writer and director Curry Barker, who's first feature film Milk and Serial debuted on YouTube and captured the attention of audiences. Barker's latest follows a young man who finds a "One Wish Willow" novelty item and wishes for the unrelenting love and attention from his crush. His wish comes true to a terrifying degree. The film stars Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter.

Barker's script takes the classic "monkey's paw" horror motif and dials it up to 11, lined with enough dread that left me tensed up in my seat for the majority of the film's runtime. The film takes the premise and lets it run for every mile it has, starting from an almost pitiful character's hopeless attempts at confessing his feelings for his crush and quickly spiraling into a disturbing and hellish nightmare. While the film is tense and disturbing as all hell, Barker still seamlessly weaves in some twisted humor, giving audiences a brief break from the unraveling insanity that is Obsession.

Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in Obsession, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Johnston plays the film's main character, Bear, a young man that uses his "One Wish Willow" to draw the love of his crush. Johnston plays the role amazingly in his evolution from a hopeless romantic you almost pity to a tormented monster trapped in a hell of his own making. It's captivating to say the least. Johnston's ability to tightrope walk between making the decision he needs to make versus doing something completely different is maddening in all the best ways. I also appreciated his ability to be cringey in his early attempts to win over his crush.  Most of the film's dread exudes from Inde Navarrette. Her performance as Nikki, a woman suddenly smitten by Bear, is nothing short of pulse pounding. Her ability to flip a scene on a dime from nervously awkward to downright terrifying made me clutch my arm rest anytime she was on screen. Her loose cannon demeanor and impeccable facial acting is so undeniable. One can call it Oscar worthy.

The film is also impressive on a technical level. The sound design specifically stood out to me as noticeably intimidating and the film's cinematography makes an excellent use of the visually darker moments and expertly plays with shadows. One scene in particular felt like a straight up nightmare with joined forces of the camera work and Navarrette's unhinged intensity.

While the film's horror stems more from the anticipation of what in the hell could possibly happen next in this twisted love story, there are brief moments of shocking violence. One scene in particular has already become infamous amongst those who have seen it that it had to be cut down to avoid an NC-17 rating. Don't fear, however. I can confirm the "bashing scene," as some have referred to it, is still as immensely violent and downright shocking.

Overall, Obsession is an intense, twisted and deeply disturbing film that left me rattled to my core. Barker's dark tale of a wish gone wrong feels like a Twilight Zone episode on steroids and could very well be in the conversation for the best horror film of the year.

Obsession releases in theaters May 15h 2026 from Focus Features and Blumhouse.

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