If there were one word one could associate with the horror-breakthrough Obsession, it would be consistent.
Consistent in originality and unexpectedness. Consistent in tone that balances intriguing horror and absurdity, yet perfectly timed bits of comedy. Consistent in the Twilight Zone-ish, far-fetched nature of its premise. Consistent with the spirit of independent cinema.
Back in 1991, Francis Ford Coppola predicted that — and I quote (from the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse): “One day, some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart of a good movie, and the so-called professionalism will be destroyed, forever, and it will really become an art form.”
Obsession is the film Coppola was talking about. Written, edited and directed by a young YouTube filmmaker — the 26-year-old Curry Barker — whose experience was largely made up of skits and shorts; produced for less than $750,000; picked up by a major studio (Focus Features) for $15 million; and making (as of the time of this writing) $332 million worldwide. It will, perhaps, open the floodgates for aspiring filmmakers from YouTube who want to make films but end up making shorts and spec advertisements, doing corporate documentary work or editing someone else’s YouTube videos. It is a film that will make careers for everyone involved.
