‘Obsession’ Review – Curry Barker Strikes Gold In This Midnight Madness Standout [TIFF 2025]

The Toronto International Film Festival is heralded as having the most diverse slate of all the fall festivals. They program a wide array of films, ranging from major awards players to small international releases that may not be seen elsewhere. One of the strongest and most unique sections of TIFF’s programming is its Midnight Madness selections. Year in and year out, the slate is filled with genre films that are likely to get audiences amped up, terrified, or anywhere in between. Most notably, The Substance was part of last year’s slate, perhaps the only TIFF Midnight Madness film to go on to be nominated for multiple Oscars.

The standout film from this year’s slate has to be Obsession from writer-director Curry Barker. Made for a reported $1 million, the film follows Bear (Michael Johnston) as a young man hopelessly in love with his coworker Nikki (Inde Navarrette). After he makes a seemingly harmless wish for Nikki to reciprocate his feelings, their relationship takes an unexpected turn in his favor, or so he thinks. 

Barker, one-half of YouTube comedy duo That’s a Bad Idea, is both competent and confident in his sophomore feature. Obsession far exceeds its budgetary limitations in terms of production value and quality, showing real command from Barker. The script is smartly paced and incredibly funny for a horror film. There are several points in the film that got incredible reactions from the audience, but they never feel cheap or just designed for reaction’s sake. They serve a purpose and further the plot and character development effectively.

Barker is clearly a winner here, but the biggest revelation is Navarrette as Nikki. She plays both the manic pixie dream girl stereotype as well as the overly attached girlfriend. She certainly has the toughest role of anyone in this film, and she absolutely nails it. Tonally and physically, Obsession runs through her performance. There are several scenes where she has to alternate between personalities and different tendencies that are unbelievably frightening. The film simply doesn’t work without her exceptional performance. Here’s hoping this gets her seen and attached to exciting projects in the future. 

The rest of the cast is good as well, with Johnston holding the bulk of the film alongside Navarrette. They are joined by Megan Lawless as Sarah and That’s a Bad Idea’s other half, Cooper Tomlinson as Ian, Bear’s best friend. The four work at a music store together, often going out for drinks and trivia after work. Their friend group feels uniquely realistic for a movie, with fun dynamics and potential love interests at every turn. It’s hard to hang out with the same group of people for so long without someone catching feelings for another of the group. Johnston’s performance as a young yearner really resonated with me and is likely to do the same with many young men. 

Obsession, on a technical level, is a massive achievement considering its budget. The lighting and practical effects are what many should strive for in filmmaking. There are some staggering prosthetics used throughout the film that bring out that homegrown horror vibe that most big-budget horror films are missing as of late. 

With Navarrette’s incredible performance and Barker’s confident direction and writing, Obsession is by far one of the biggest standouts not only of this year’s Midnight Madness slate, but of all of TIFF. This is a movie to bring your friends to and watch in awe as things unfold. You’ll see some of the best acting of the year, as well as the biggest WTF moments. Barker has a bright future as yet another comedian-turned-horror director strikes gold.

Obsession held its World Premiere as part of the Midnight Madness section at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Director: Curry Barker

Screenwriter: Curry Barker

Rated: NR

Runtime: 108m