{"id":178,"date":"2026-05-18T19:35:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T19:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=178"},"modified":"2026-05-18T19:35:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T19:35:57","slug":"obsession-star-inde-navarrette-delivers-a-scary-and-tragic-performance-that-demands-awards-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=178","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Obsession\u2019 Star Inde Navarrette Delivers a Scary and Tragic Performance That Demands Awards Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nSPOILER ALERT: <\/strong>This article contains spoilers for \u201cObsession,\u201d now playing in theaters.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Tom Kane, \u2018Star Wars\u2019 and \u2018Powerpuff Girls\u2019 Voice Actor, Dies at 64<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe best movie villains inspire empathy or understanding in an audience: Maybe they profoundly believe what they\u2019re doing is right, or have been so damaged by their past that retribution seems like the only way out.<\/p>\n

\n\tJudging by trailers and posters alone, \u201cObsession\u201d is about a young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) who accidentally creates a monster when he is granted a magical wish to have his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), love him more than anyone else. Unfortunately, it\u2019s a real \u201cbe careful what you wish for\u201d situation, and Nikki\u2019s obsession with Bear becomes more and more extreme.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s fascinating is that, very quickly, it\u2019s clear that Nikki\u2019s monstrous impulses are beyond her control, as the \u201creal\u201d Nikki lives buried just below the surface, able to occasionally burst out of a body she is unable to manage. It\u2019s a rarity that the monster in a horror film pivots to be the object of empathy, but Navarrette is an expert at pulling off this unique balance, and her performance is one that should be remembered (and, more importantly, actually considered<\/em>) come award season.<\/p>\n

\n\tNavarrette\u2019s strength shows early as Nikki is introduced as Bear\u2019s BFF, who is kind to him but sets unspoken boundaries that it\u2019s a friend zone. Her girl-next-door energy feels perfect for what the audience sees in Bear, and as we begin to see how head-over-heels he is for her, we\u2019re hoping for a connection.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut once Bear makes the fateful wish for her love on his \u201cOne Wish Willow,\u201d things abruptly change. At first, Nikki pivots to infatuated partner, suddenly realizing she adores Bear. Their relationship quickly blooms into constant PDA \u2014\u00a0which grosses out and confuses their buddies \u2014 but, except for the occasional maniacal laugh, Nikki appears happy and normal.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom there, things get dark. The key to Navarrette\u2019s performance emerges once it\u2019s clear that she is no longer in control of her body at all, but rather it\u2019s being driven by a created desire to do anything for Bear, often in the worst way possible. Navarrette is brilliant at contorting her face, drawing eerie smiles, massive frowns or any series of off-kilter expressions that read as childlike expressions of love and disappointment. That plays off of her expressive eyes, which often feel like they belong to a trapped Nikki, peeking out at the world but unable to make her path through it.<\/p>\n

\n\tSome of the film\u2019s most shocking moments are Nikki\u2019s rare moments of lucidity, when she\u2019s able to break free of the spell the \u201cOne Wish Willow\u201d has over her. She\u2019ll briefly come crashing down to earth, screaming and raging against her lack of agency, until the feeling is neutralized and her waking self is trapped again in the purgatory to which she\u2019s been banished.<\/p>\n

Read more As International Co-Productions Soar, It\u2019s Crucial to \u2018Make a Film Instead of Filming a Deal,\u2019 Producers Argue at Polish Film Institute Panel at Cannes<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWhat makes this mix so compelling is that Navarrette is able to play countless conflicting emotions all at the same time, a woman only occasionally in charge of her own body and agency. When her actions get frightening, it\u2019s always compounded by her haunting expressions: frozen in a smile as she waits all day for Bear, maniacal as she\u2019s running around at night or frenzied while attacking a romantic rival. Each moment feels organic and fresh, holding on to different levels of herself as she\u2019s infiltrated by the cosmic hell she\u2019s trapped in. It\u2019s the movement of something inhuman trying on her skin, struggling to remain poised during every challenge posed along the way.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe performance also reverberates long after the story ends. After a darkly comedic moment ends the film, you\u2019re haunted by the idea of what will happen next to this poor woman, who has suffered endlessly due to no fault of her own. It also comes with a sobering realization that Bear, our initial entrance into the world of \u201cObsession,\u201d was the villain all along.<\/p>\n

\n\tNavarrette\u2019s work also turbocharges the key theme. \u201cObsession\u201d is a film about consent, a story where even a normal-seeming nice guy is eager to take what he wants, even if it leaves the woman screaming in protest. It\u2019s not a preachy tale by any means, foregrounding atmosphere and big scares above anything else. But it\u2019s impossible to leave the theater not aching for Nikki and what she\u2019s been through.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a year after we saw Oscar wins for horror performances like Michael B. Jordan in \u201cSinners\u201d and Amy Madigan in \u201cWeapons,\u201d it seems award nods (in some fashion) could be possible for Navarrette. Yet there\u2019s plenty working against it: Beyond decades and decades of awards bodies ignoring horror, \u201cObsession\u201d might not read as thematically rich as \u201cSinners\u201d or \u201cWeapons,\u201d or feel too niche and brash for mainstream attention. But \u201cObsession\u201d is proving to be a wide crowdpleaser, with a Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at 94% for both critics and audiences, as well as an A- Cinemascore \u2014\u00a0all of which are very high metrics for horror. Additionally, social media is filled with reactions praising Navarrette\u2019s role as the key to the film\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

\n\tHer work is singularly brave and brilliant, standing alongside rich horror performances in recent years like Lupita Nyong\u2019o in \u201cUs\u201d and Toni Collette in \u201cHereditary.\u201d Voters, don\u2019t make the same mistake you did by ignoring those lauded women.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Navarrette was best known for her television work on \u201cSuperman & Lois\u201d and \u201c13 Reasons Why,\u201d it\u2019s inevitable that her film career is about to take off. Hopefully, she\u2019ll be offered roles as meaty and challenging as Nikki. If so, her Oscar won\u2019t take too long to arrive.<\/p>\n

Read more Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell Find Advertisers Crave a \u2018Modern Family\u2019 Approach to Commercials<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWatch the \u201cObsession\u201d trailer below.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tSee all Academy Awards predictions\t<\/h5>\n

\n
Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Obsession’ star Inde Navarrette plays a complex role, and she deserves awards attention because of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[213,214],"class_list":["post-178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-inde-navarrette","tag-obsession-2"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Obsession\u2019 Star Inde Navarrette Delivers a Scary and Tragic Performance That Demands Awards Attention - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=178\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Obsession\u2019 Star Inde Navarrette Delivers a Scary and Tragic Performance That Demands Awards Attention - 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