Inde Navarrette’s Obsession performance is a masterclass in horror acting. This acting analysis breaks down Curry Barker’s film, Nikki, Wish Nikki, and the uncanny choices that make the performance so disturbing.
In Obsession, Bear makes a wish that Nikki will love him more than anyone in the world, but the result is not romance. It’s something much stranger, sadder, and more horrifying. Inde Navarrette has to play multiple versions of Nikki at once: the real person underneath, the fantasy version created by the wish, and the terrifying moments where those two identities seem to collide.
This video essay looks at how Navarrette builds one of the most unsettling horror performances in recent memory through physical precision, emotional specificity, vocal shifts, sudden transitions, and a performance style that keeps both Bear and the audience off balance. Using interviews, director’s commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and key scenes from Obsession, we explore how Inde Navarrette, Curry Barker, and Michael Johnston shaped the dynamic between Nikki and Bear.
We’ll also talk about Obsession’s “wish gone wrong” roots, from The Monkey’s Paw to The Twilight Zone, The Simpsons, and other horror stories about desire curdling into nightmare. Along the way, we compare Navarrette’s performance to other examples of ambiguity and possession-adjacent acting, including American Psycho, Get Out, Being John Malkovich, and Quantum Leap.
What makes Inde Navarrette’s performance in Obsession so effective is that it is not just “creepy.” It is specific. It is funny, tragic, uncanny, vulnerable, and deeply human. For a story about someone being turned into another person’s fantasy, Navarrette gives Nikki the one thing Bear’s wish tries to erase: a soul.
Spoilers for Obsession ahead.
#Obsession #IndeNavarrette #currybarker
EDIT: As requested, here's the link to the American Psycho video I referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGjpu-2gqwI
0:00 - Monkey's Paw Origins 2:25 - Inde's Audition Process 4:41 - Playing 'Real' Nikki 6:21 - Playing 'Wish' Nikki 7:39 - Where is Real Nikki? 10:02 - Exploration and Surprise 11:37 - Playing with 'No' 12:45 - Uncanny Elements 13:13 - Honing the Smile 14:24 - What's Wrong with Your Face? 15:51 - Walking Backwards 16:30 - The One-Take Finale 17:34 - The Indie Film Spirit