Not only is Obsession one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in a while, but it’s also very frustrating for a key reason. At the start of the film, viewers know Bear has a crush on his friend, Nikki, and wants to let her know it, yet he’s afraid to tell her how he feels. One night, when he’s driving her home from trivia, he has the chance to shoot his shot but ultimately doesn’t and curses her by using something called the One Wish Willow. To say it all goes downhill from there is almost an understatement. But would he have had a shot with her in the first place?
What Would Have Happened If Bear Just Told Nikki His Feelings?
When I did our Obsession interviews for CinemaBlend, I had to get thoughts from the cast, specifically Michael Johnston and Inde Navarette, on what they thought might have happened if Bear had made his crush known to Nikki. Here’s what Johnston thinks:
Whoa. You know, that's a really great question. I can't speak for Nikki, but I thought about that and you know, Bear's not like the ugliest guy, but I think confidence is key. And, I think maybe he could have had a shot. The outcome would've been a lot better for him. Let's just put it that way. I can tell you what wouldn't have happened is this movie. That's just not the film.
Wish as I may, wish I might, for a different outcome in Obsession, the reason why it’s so good is because we never truly know if Bear and Nikki could have had a true chance. On that note, Navarrette dropped her assertion:
Everything's from Bear's perspective, Bear doesn't really know how Nikki feels. So me and Curry played with the idea of whenever we did certain takes, we played one where she is super interested, we did another where she wasn't. And so, in the editing process, kind of marrying those together to also see it from Bear's perspective of ‘how does she feel?’ So ultimately… we don't really know. But, speaking as Nikki, I think that there's a little inclination of like, [he] would treat me right, to a certain extent, I just wanna emphasize that. But, like in the beginning, like, he's a good guy.
Ugh, if Bear had only let her know instead of taking away Nikki’s freewill! Of course, to be fair, we also have to consider Bear probably not thinking the trinket he bought would actually grant him his wish, so there’s that. You can check out the pair think over the question in the video below:
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Interestingly enough, during our interview with writer/director Curry Barker, he also told us that the scene he went back over to edit the most was the one between Bear and Nikki in the beginning of the movie. So a lot of thought was definitely put into crafting this friendship before everything hit the fan.
How Fans Are Reacting To The Cast’s Thoughts
Obsession has been killing it at the box office the last couple of weeks and, as a result, a number of people have seen it. With that, many are responding to the comments made by Johnston and Navarrette. There are a lot of conflicting thoughts on the subject, and you can get a taste of what people are saying in the comments section:
- “I think she might have liked him, all he needed was the guts to say something to her” - @memories_on_main_street
- “If we believe Sara, Nikki was not into Bear. BUT I do think if he had told her his feelings they could have had a discussion that made him realize he doesn't know Nikki enough to actually care about her, and that maybe Sara is a better fit” - @ssunday.scaries
- “She didn’t like him. I think it was very clear.” - @krystalcrusader
- “All he had to do was to face his fear of rejection and tell nikki that he liked her” - @chrisfunkopop
- “I loved the ambiguity of it. I’m glad that the audience didn’t know whether or not she would've gave him a chance. Esp bc he took that choice away” @alitkzi
Such a debate is a good sign that this is a great movie. There’s so much discussion about Obsession, and I love it! All in all, there's no consensus about what would have happened between Bear and Nikki if the One Wish Willow never came into play, and I have a feeling this is going to be a question movie fans are going to be debating for a long time.
While you’re here, you can check out the Obsession cast’s thoughts on whether it’s a demonic possession movie and what happens after the movie’s ending. And, of course, the film is still playing in theaters if you want to go for another viewing or check it out for the first time.
