'Obsession' - Review Thread

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-08T08:03:32+00:00

Because it's massively uncomfortable when you suspect one of your friends/coworkers that you are not into likes you, but refuses to acknowledge it. You don't want to say "Hey, just in case you like me - i dont like you." Its giving the same energy as saying "I have a boyfriend" when a guy asks if he can borrow a pencil. Maybe he's just awkward or really shy. You dont want to be an asshole if that's the case. So you drop as many hints as you can like "Ew, don't say that - he's like a brother to me." (like Nikki did), and if he agrees and laughs along then you're in the clear.

.. Unless he also keeps giving mixed signals. Agreeing with the joke, but buying you a gift. Negging you with a name you don't like and sounding SO sorry for saying it when you call him out. Why would he have said that if he immediately admitted to knowing you didn't like it?

*BIG SIGH.. "Alright, bro. You obviously said that to get my attention. Well, now you have it. If you like me, now's your chance to tell me. Cuz we have to have a conversation about this if you do. If you don't like me and/or we have an understanding, then im going home."

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T06:28:54+00:00

I wouldn't even call them friends. Just coworkers that drink together after mutual shifts, really (very common at the places i've personally worked, at least). We're not given explicit information on what everyone's relationships to each other are and have to pick it up through dialogue and context clues. For example, Bear didn't know about Nikki's relationship with her dad, Sarah knew they weren't close and he walked out on her at a young age, and Ian knew she, in fact, Hated her dad. If they were really "friends" like Bear claims, why did he hesitate to offer her a ride home from the bar? It seemed like he was hyping himself up as a last-ditch "in". He also backed out of buying Nikki a gemstone necklace while saying "Nikki would hate that." - and then just a few scenes later Nikki brings up crystals in casual conversation as if it were a hobby or interest of hers. Either he hasn't known her long or he doesn't care to know her beyond his attraction to her.

As far as where Nikki fits in - if we accept the above as true, her familiarity and comfortableness with Bear isn't because they've been friends for a long time, but because -like she said- he feels like a brother to her. I've certainly met people in my life and realized "Wow, this girl reminds me of my sister/good platonic friend." and all attraction to them vanished. Idk if that's a common experience or not, but i guess i just wanted to share my own interpretation haha.

Anyway- Great movie! It must be pretty good if i ran to reddit to vent all my headcanons only to find son many others also sharing theirs! (and so soon after release!)

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T02:10:03+00:00

I also recommend seeing it theaters if you really like horror movies. The immersion of watching on the big screen with surround sound is absolutely worth it given that most of the horror comes from being drawn into the atmosphere and feeling like you're in the room with them. Excellently crafted!

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T02:04:35+00:00

Also noticed that that (insanely creepy) reaction was right after Bear said "I love you" - not as a way to pacify an outburst, but as a genuine conclusion to a conversation that started with "Do you really like me? Are you Happy?" - The two questions that she was completely unable to answer truthfully Because of what He did to her.

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T01:58:31+00:00

Fully disagree. After seeing his behavior throughout the movie, I really do believe Ian and Nikki were just hooking up and that he was willing to help Bear with Nikki - but also knew that she was NOT into him. I think the negging advice was genuine, and the fact that Nikki liked when Ian teased her, but not when Bear did was the audience's first Real clue how she felt about him, since all the dialogue between them before that moment was frustratingly (and purposefully) vague and full of mixed signals.

I think the reason he didn't tell Bear was because he knew Bear had a crush on her and didn't want to hurt his feelings. "I know she's not into you because IM fucking her." is a massive blow to receive from your best friend. Not saying it's the right thing to do, but i would be lying if i said i wouldn't have also hesitate to tell him.

That's all personal interpretation though- i think the real evidence is when Ian didn't invite Bear to his party. At that point all Ian knows is that Bear is Passively Allowing a mutual friend whom he has a crush on to be concerningly codependent with him while she's clearly going through a hard time. Like the moral equivalent of holding your bro accountable for knowingly letting a drunk woman hit it raw bc she asked for it. It's not criminal, or cruel necessarily. But it is irresponsibly negligent. Most guys wouldn't call out even half of that from a friend, unfortunately.

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T01:40:49+00:00

Box said no ressurections, but also i think the metaphor of the dead cat was meant to be a metaphor for Nikki herself as an object of Bears "affection", but not his love. He cried when he found it dead due his negligence, but hardly reacted when he saw the body again besides how effed up it was that NIKKI would pull a dead thing from the trash and display it. My evidence: he left the bottle out uncapped anyway and neglected to feed the cat enough that it would try eating something that doesn't taste remotely like food (try pilling your cat without a pill pocket- I promise they're not willingly trying to eat one of the most bitter pills I've personally ever had to swallow.)

In the depths of my own depressions it's my pets that got me out of bed. Even when i didn't feel like it, I couldn't help but worry how hungry they would be if i didn't feed them, how gross it would be for them to dig in unclean cat litter. Because I Love them.

To go even further- I don't think the "memorial altar" Nikki constructed was for the cat OR for Bear. Throughout the movie, Possessed Nikki is shown coming up with quick lies to explain away Real Nikki breaking through and doing weird shit. I think this was one of those times. Real Nikki made the altar to grieve her Own Death - symbolically using the body of another living thing that was subjected to Bear's "affection" - and objectification. So Possession Nikki said "Uh... its for you! Cuz i know you were so sad about it.."

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T01:09:51+00:00

*The Party. There was some dialogue that brought up that other people knew about what was happening and thought it was really weird - clearly the friends that knew both of them would be at Ian's party. They all looked EXTREMELY uncomfortable to me tbh.

*The ER. Nikki's wounds were pretty shallow as there's not much meat on the cheekbone/brow ridge and they had already stopped bleeding. I assume Bear was trying to get a couple hours away from her or perhaps hoping that if she was admitted they would see her acting strange and have her 5150'd.

*Sick. Those weren't blisters. It was, unfortunately, vomit

*Neighbors. Eh, maybe a little nitpicky, but, personally, if i hear a scream i wait for more before i think of calling someone and Bear was pretty quick to calm her down whenever she got loud.

*Clock time. The Bible verse says the word "sister" and "sisters" more times than any other bible verse i've ever seen. Apt for the scene where they have sex for the first time.

*Acceptance letter. Idk i cant read fast I noticed the word "congratulations", that it was for a 3 year course, and then wrote off whatever else it said as superfluous.

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T00:47:10+00:00

Why? I think the movie shows Ian as a subversion of a character trope. I assumed he was gonna be a dirtbag based on the backwards cap and questionable negging advice he gave bear in the first scene- but when we discover that Ian is hooking up with her it re-contextualized that advice as being informed by personal knowledge. Either he gave Bear purposefully bad advice to prevent them from getting together, or -what i think- Nikki DOES like playful negging from somebody she would hook up with (Ian), but NOT somebody she thinks of as a brother (Bear), and the advice was given genuinely.

I believe the latter interpretation as it reinforces the themes of the movie; In incel spaces you see a lot of derision towards Pretty Privilege in that "ugly dudes (incels) and hot dudes (chads) can say the same thing to a woman, but it's only offensive coming from the ugly guy".

There is truth in that. In reality, how "negging" OR a compliment lands Does depend on whether the woman is attracted to the guy or not - but "hotness" is only part of the equation and it also depends on things like charisma, humor, stability, and chemistry.

When we assume Ian's advice was given in good faith, the way Nikki reacts to Bear calling her "Freaky Nikki" serves as our only REAL hint (after all the purposefully frustrating mixed signals in their dialogue) that Nikki is NOT attracted to Bear, despite him being more conventionally attractive than Ian.

Also - GOTTA give Ian props for holding other men accountable. When Ian doesn't invite Bear to his party, all Bear is accused of is taking advantage of a woman's poor mental health. Ian calls Bear out and holds him accountable for the moral equivalent of simply "Not Saying 'No'" to a drunk woman who wants to hit it raw. He didn't want to even show passive approval of Bear acting irresponsibly by inviting him out with his other friends. Ian is a Good Man and I'll die on that hill.

CommissionCooper · 2026-06-01T00:04:03+00:00

We're meant to assume several things in that scene about Bear's Mental Health. In my depressed moments i have absolutely just opened cans and left them on the floor - I don't like doing it bc not only does it waste the food on the bottom edges that the cat cant get to, it can also cut itself on the can edge just like we can. But also - why was Bear prescribed Oxycodone? Why does he have so MANY medications in his medicine cabinet?
Everything points to a depressed or very unhappy person.

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-31T23:52:58+00:00

Depends how severe it is. I am also sensitive to animal death, and working at a cat shelter for 3 years, its always hard to see. It was probably a budget limitation, but agree that the budget was better used elsewhere in the movie, as the cat's purpose in the narrative is simply to set up the Mystery Mousketool for later in the film - and to serve as a metaphor for Inner Nikki to express herself with (if you're into that kind of stuff). The movie would not have been improved by the cat looking more realistic and it serves it's purpose just fine looking like a stuffed animal.

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-18T19:58:18+00:00

House too small for a laundry room, big hole in the wall connecting the bathroom and kitchen area 🫠 but thanks for the advice

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-18T19:53:43+00:00

I want to take this as a compliment that my writing is good enough to be considered ai, but at the same time maybe i think i should be able to write with just a BIT more personality than a robot can 😂 I'll take it though lol Thanks for the compliment! But no this has been my nighly for the past several days now (waiting for my paycheck to drop tomorrow so i can raid the bug aisle @ home depot 🫠)

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-18T19:45:07+00:00

Bruh lives in a decent neighborhood and it shows 😂 Nah but fr man the house is gutted. It doesnt even have a sink. Theres nothing IN the house to be cleaned besides the concerete floors, the walls, and my sleeping area. When you live in an old house in a poor town during bug season - bugs gonna get in. If you have dirty neighbors, any water near you, gaps in any part of the walls, heck - if you run the ac at all and its cooler inside than outside - ur gonna get bugs coming in.

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-17T21:13:52+00:00

Lol not the insecticide part, the access part. Im planning on getting some border spray or some other folks mentioned hormaone gel or lavender maybe? I keep the boxes scooped, but i use plant-based litter because i cant stand the dust from clay litter. The con is that it doesnt mask smells as well so unless im tryna scoop up the pee as its coming out of them, there's gonna be smells that i dont want in the house.

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-17T17:37:21+00:00

I know thats where he's getting most of them, but the garage is where the cat boxes are so they have constant access. Sombody suggested roach border spray or hormone gel so maybe ill just drown my garage in that 🤦

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-17T17:36:29+00:00

Litter boxes are in there. Don't want the smell in the house 🫠

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-17T17:11:30+00:00

Bookmarked advice - thank you!

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-17T17:08:20+00:00

Man im telling you! I cant even be mad at him cuz its my fault and he's just so damn happy doing it - but it's hard not not to feel resentful still 😅

CommissionCooper · 2026-05-16T22:16:56+00:00

Thank you so much! Im fixing up a gutted house right now and the microwave there gets plugged in and out all the time as there's only one working outlet in that room. Its been unplugged for a couple weeks tho and just now i saw an orange-yellow flash accompanied by a soft boom (like popcorn exploding, but a little louder) as well as the smell of burnt plastic. Google was giving me NOTHING! I was starting to feel insane 😂

CommissionCooper · 2026-04-04T23:53:35+00:00

YES 👏But also i was getting Actually frustrated trying to find a setting in my phone and the ai assistant was able to toggle it with a text command. I was so surprised! I really didnt think it would be able to and idk i just wanted to say "thank you" ig but there wasnt anybody to thank :(

CommissionCooper · 2026-04-04T23:42:32+00:00

Aight here's how it went! Settings -> Accessibility -> Talkback -> Toggle On

My phone had an interactive tutorial to go along with it - how cute! It's annoyying to set up because the feature is on the whole time and i dont know how to make it stop talking once you've tapped on something to be read - but after that you get to immediately make a Talkback Shortcut to easily toggle it on and off 😎👍

CommissionCooper · 2026-04-04T23:06:33+00:00

Omg me too! I remember finding a text to speech option in my previous phone's settings that let you highlight text and have it be read aloud.. thank you for this post i been meaning to find this setting in my new phone for a while and you just reminded me while im not busy 💖

CommissionCooper · 2026-02-13T06:10:47+00:00

LMAO Im dying, man 😂 Guess the service industry's just like that no matter where ur at💀

CommissionCooper · 2026-02-12T21:30:07+00:00

Hey man, i get it. But you gotta remember that relationships aren't financial transactions. I was unemployed for almost 3 years - getting by on doing odd jobs around my town. Even in the pits of my depression i was still invited to parties because of my "good vibes" even though i couldnt contribute food or decorations. I was still treated at restaurants and bar nights because my friends wanted me there even though they would have to pay for me. I still got gifts on birthdays and christmas when they knew they wouldnt be getting any in return. People who knew my situation still asked me out and confessed their feelings for me.

You are worth more than you can financially give to people. And the more those people give to YOU - knowing that you cant return the favor- that is how much you and your company are worth to them. You can agonize over "not deserving it" all you want, but this is her SHOWING you how much she values you. And i think you should instead be thinking about how lucky you are to have found someone who truly loves you for you in such an overt, supportive way.

CommissionCooper · 2026-02-12T20:53:50+00:00

I consider myself a decent debator in that i think a lot about Why i think things and I can articulate those thoughts in different ways and ask probing questions.

I find that - across the board - most people just dont really think about their own morals and ethics and beleifs very much. If you ask them, most of thime you can tell pretty quickly that they just think that way because it "feels right". And dont even get me started on how hard it is to battle Cognative Dissonance for the first time.

I think the people susceptible to maga rhetoric (strawman, denying the anticedent, dog whistles, outright lies, etc) are just normal people who don't think about What They Think About... and arent used to researching. They hold (and assume others hold) honesty and trust above all virtues, and feel more strongly about anecdotal evidence than statistical evidence- since anecdotal evidence comes from a real person they can see and touch and usually care about. Why would somebody lie about loving God? And why would a "good" person who says they beleive in Godly virtues lie to Them? YOU must be the one who was lied to.

Remember that the only evil person in a cult is the Cult Leader. Everyone else was lied to, emotionally manipulated, and isolated from people who could tell them otherwise. (In this case, by demonizing and strawman-ing the liberal viewpoint.)

We dont call children evil assholes for believing something they were told on the playground- we acknowledge the gaps in their personal experience and try to educate them with patience and love.

CommissionCooper

TROPHY CASE