In debuting director Curry Barker’s critical and commercial smash hit horror movie Obsession, a young music shop employee named Bear (Michael Johnston of Slash) buys a product called a One Wish Willow and, not fully believing that it will work, wishes that his longtime crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette of Superman & Lois) would love him more than anyone else in the world. Readers, the One Wish Willow works.
However, there is some question as to how much of Nikki’s subsequent erratic behavior is driven by her wish or driven by the real Nikki hiding underneath. But never fret, because we are here to break down when Nikki is actually in control of herself.
WARNING: It goes without saying that this article contains spoilers for Obsession, from beginning to end.
Who Is the Real Nikki in Obsession?
The clearest picture we get of the real Nikki comes in the opening scenes of Obsession, before Bear makes his wish. While these scenes intentionally keep Nikki at arm’s length because the audience is meant to experience her character through Bear’s perspective, there are many details that can be gleaned around the edges of scenes (details that Bear himself doesn’t even notice, for the most part).
One of the most important aspects of her character is that she is trying to spread her wings, exploring her identity and the possibilities of the future that lies before her. This includes her working on a novel and deciding to quit her job at the music store. While she doesn’t exactly have a plan, she clearly feels hemmed in by her current life and wants to explore her options. Therefore, when Bear makes his wish, he is very much clipping her wings by forcing her into a cage of faux desire that keeps her both at the music store and in his orbit at all times.
The trouble is, Nikki might have already been gravitating toward his orbit. During a loaded conversation while he drives her home, she points-blank asks Bear if he likes her. He is too terrified to tell her the truth and potentially get rejected, turning to the One Wish Willow to do all the work for him. However, the fact that she asked him in the first place could imply that she has some measure of interest in him that she would be willing to let develop, as long as he could work with her and be honest.
Her potential interest in him is underscored by the fact that she is the one who reaches out to him in the first place, calling him to make sure he was coming out that night to spend time with her and Sarah and Ian even though it was his day off.
‘Obsession’ (2026)Credit: Focus Features
Other aspects of the real Nikki are revealed throughout the film, when her friends begin to notice how differently she is behaving and confide in Bear about how much she has changed. Nikki and Bear’s coworker, Sarah (Megan Lawless of The Hate U Give) is a true font of information, revealing to Bear that Nikki was sleeping with their mutual friend Ian (Cooper Tomlinson, Curry Barker’s sketch comedy partner) on and off before he made his wish.
Sarah also tells Bear that Nikki told her that she previously saw him as more of a little brother than a possible romantic partner. However, while that is probably partly true, it seems likely that Nikki was softening her own feelings when she was expressing them to Sarah, who has an obvious crush on Bear.
The Real Nikki Breaks Through More in the Beginning
However, Nikki's feelings about Bear in the opening scenes of the movie are obliterated by the fact that he uses his wish to force her to love him. The horrifying fallout of this is shown in the way that the real Nikki is able to maintain some level of control over herself as the wish begins to take effect.
While she finds herself already becoming romantically obsessed with Bear, to the point that she lies about her dad having cancer so she can go home with him, she is clearly at war with herself. While she tries to go inside repeatedly, Wish Nikki ultimately takes over, leading her to Bear’s apartment and eventually to Bear’s bed.
However, the Real Nikki still struggles to understand and reverse her situation in the early going. This includes a scene where she initiates a kiss with Bear and then screams, her true consciousness seeming to have suddenly snapped into focus. However, as the movie progresses, Real Nikki is more and more defeated by Wish Nikki and is unable to emerge so fully ever again.
This is indicated by one of the film’s most harrowing scenes, where Bear and Nikki are having sex. She is giving pornographic moans, but tears are visible in her eyes, indicating that Real Nikki is still conscious somewhere inside her mind, but is no longer able to control her words or actions.
The Real Nikki Is in Limbo
The next time that Real Nikki is given a voice is the scene that was featured in Obsession’s teaser trailer, where Bear calls the One Wish Willow help line, and the person who picks up (voiced by Curry Barker in his inaugural director cameo) asks if he wants to speak to Nikki. Afterward, she can be heard screaming at the top of her lungs, underscoring the fact that her real self has been present during her entire ordeal, in some sort of limbo underneath the surface.
‘Obsession’ (2026)Credit: Focus Features
As it turns out, Real Nikki is only able to reach out from limbo while Wish Nikki is asleep. This is revealed in a chilling scene where Bear is trying to sneak out to talk to Sarah, and Real Nikki whispers to him from Wish Nikki’s sleeping form, begging him to kill her. As usual, Real Nikki’s directness frightens Bear, who takes her request as a rejection of his potential as a boyfriend rather than confirmation that the version of her that he has been dating isn’t real.
Ultimately, Real Nikki’s autonomy is only returned to her when Bear dies, ending his oppressive influence over her behavior. However, as the closing moments of the movie reveal, this isn’t necessarily a comfort. All three of her closest friends are now dead. Never mind the fact that one of them put her in this predicament in the first place. If she wants to have the future she was dreaming of, she will have the events of the past few weeks weighing on her forever. This instant classic horror movie ending leaves audiences with the grimmest possible twist on a “happily ever after” for the character.
While there’s still more Obsession material to come on No Film School, those who want to dig into the hit movie even more can already find articles about how Curry Barker bagged an eight-figure offer, how he found his own voice with Obsession, and more.
