Obsession

Focus

As it stands, the new horror film Obsession, out this weekend, is tied for the highest-scoring movie of the year on Rotten Tomatoes, currently at a double 94% from critics and audiences. That creates some pretty high expectations heading in, and now that I’ve seen it, I get it. The overall movie may not be one of the best horror movies ever, but the performance from its lead actress, Inde Navarrette, is without question one of the best I’ve ever seen in the genre. For me personally, top 5. For reference, here’s who I would include in that list:

• Toni Collette in Hereditary
• Bill Skarsgard in It (and It Part 2, and It: Welcome to Derry)
• Naomi Scott in Smile 2 (seriously, watch it)
• Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
• Inde Navarrette in Obsession

There are certainly plenty of runners up in there (Mia Goth, Jack Nicholson, Florence Pugh, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o), but I’m not kidding, Navarette’s unhinged performance in Obsession is worthy of being in a list like this, and given that two horror movie stars, Michael B. Jordan from Sinners and Amy Madigan from Weapons, both won Oscars last year alone, I genuinely don’t think at least a nomination is out of the question for Navarrette.

Obsession is a relatively straightforward dark fairy tale of a boy who has a crush on a girl he thinks is friend-zoning him, so he uses a black magic toy to make a wish that actually comes true: that she loves him more than anyone in the world. You might imagine the monkey paw that curls as a result of that, and Navarette is forced to play about four different roles here. Pre-wish Nikki, post-wish in-love girlfriend Nikki, Nikki starting to lose it, and Nikki going full psychpath. It’s a slow progression, but each part requires drastically different acting demands, and often, flicking a switch to flip between them on the spot.

There’s also a physicality to the role on top of that, and Navarrette's facial expressions in particular when she shifts into full-on obsessed mode are unforgettable. In the opposite of Smile, she hits the best frowny-face I’ve ever seen in a movie, which may sound silly, but trust me, you’ll remember the moment.

Her performance blends so many different moods, so many different evolutions of a single character, that it makes her an all-time horror antagonist, albeit with the twist that she’s not really an antagonist, as this persona has been forced on her against her will, making her more of a victim than her mandatory boyfriend, who made the wish that severed her free will in the first place.

I am almost certain you have not heard of Navarrette, who I last saw playing probably the eighth most important role in Superman and Lois, the CW-turned-HBO Max show where she plays Lana Lang’s daughter, a role that did not demand acting even close to this level. She also had nine episodes in the controversial 13 Reasons Why on Netflix.

I would expect this to be a breakout role for her, without question, and I am not kidding about the Oscar potential. Whether Academy voters see this movie or remember it months from now is anyone’s guess, but it’s not like the genre has been overlooked in the show lately. And if Amy Madigan, no offense, can win Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, if Navarrette is submitted in the same category, she should definitely be on the list. If not win outright. If this sounds hyperbolic, please, just go watch the movie. You’ll get it.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.