Fair warning. If you make a date with Curry Barker’s Obsession, which wowed/terrified audiences at TIFF’s Midnight Madness strand, you might find yourself developing an unhealthy fixation of your own. Because no magic spell is required to fall deeply in love with the horror film of the year.

After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

The film’s tagline is “Be careful what you wish for”, and Barker’s exploration of a (truly) toxic relationship is classic ‘Monkey’s Paw’ stuff. In particular, for anyone who remembers the classic ‘Treehouse of Horror’ episode of The Simpsons.

When we first meet Bear (Michael Johnston), he is practising to declare his feelings to his friend Nikki. It is awkward, cringeworthy stuff. It sets the scene for what will become a nail-biting, squirm-inducing exploration of the most heartbreaking and soul-destroying act one can undertake… to love someone. The twisted wish comes not from spite or malice, but a sad desperation. Barker’s screenplay paints not in black and white, but in the many, many shades of grey that lie between.

Yes, it is clear that Bear suffers severe anxiety and borderline abuse at the hands of “Nikki”, and yet the real Nikki is as much of a victim here. Forced into a relationship that she may not have wanted, while Bear, certainly at the outset, is happy to go along for the ride once his feelings are reciprocated. Like The Drama, this is a film that will cause a lot of post-cinema debate amongst friends and, especially, couples.

Horror films are great for that rollercoaster thrill ride. A slow-burning build of tension, punctuated by a good jump scare that reminds you that it is only a movie. However, the horrors that stay with you, that keep you up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat, are the ones that have a foothold in reality. Yes, the film’s premise is built around a magic wish, but the resultant terror is steeped in familiarity. Many of the scares arise from behaviours and scenarios recognisable to anyone who has been in a relationship. Only here, they are dialled all the way up to eleven, and the amplifier is picked up and smashed over your head!

Curry Barker proves himself to be the real deal. A triple threat as director-writer-editor, demonstrating an incredibly composed, assured control over all aspects of the filmmaking process. The way he uses framing, lighting, editing, and Rock Burwell’s discordant score to wring every drop of tension and terror from every scene is an unhinged delight to behold.

A lot has been said about the recognition of female performances in horror films over the last few years. Critics praised Toni Collette in Hereditary, Essie Davis in The Babadook, and Lupita N’Yongo in Us. And yet, they were rebuffed during awards season due to snobbishness towards the genre. However, the tide finally turned this year when Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons. It is not inconceivable for there to be a similar campaign for Inde Navarette come next year.

Because her performance is nothing short of mind-blowing. Going to places that can only be described as inhuman. And that is meant as a compliment. There are scenes where simply the way Nikki moves across the bedroom will send shivers down your spine. The actress instils an unpredictability in Nikki’s physical and emotional state. Similar to Bear’s initial manipulation of Nikki through the wish, Barker and Navarette are in control of the audience at all times. Able to get them to switch between nervous laughter and pant-wetting fear in a heartbeat.

The result is an incredibly well-crafted, deeply unsettling, insidious, and genuinely terrifying film.

Obsession (n). 1. A relentless attachment to an idea, feeling or emotion; often paired with mental strain and physical unease. 2. The horror film of the year.

Obsession is in cinemas now

Rating:

Director: Curry Barker
Stars: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless
Runtime: 108 minutes
Country: USA

Clio Barnard and Enda Walsh’s adaptation of Keiran Goddard’s novel I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning tells the story of a group of late-twentysomethings who find the pressures of surviving working-class life in Birmingham cause cracks in the foundations of their childhood friendship.

Our first introduction to the group is at a birthday party where the alcohol flows freely, a bit of blow is not restricted to the candles on a cake, and the friends are dancing to the music of Mike Skinner’s The Streets: Patrick and Shiv – childhood sweethearts who are getting by with their two kids on his gig economy work, Oli who finds a moment of clarity, and a dog gives him the impetus to focus on a future and not just a fun time, Conor is feeling the pressure of becoming a father while leading his first major building project – a set of luxury apartments in a working-class area, financed by Rian, the only one of the group who “made it out” by getting lucky playing the stock markets on his laptop at home.

They have the weight of the world on their shoulders, balanced on the giant chip placed there by the. That being said, all of them have self-destructive habits that threaten to bring their personal lives crashing down faster than a tower block razed to the ground.

Like the novel, the film feels like a scream into the void, from a place of dissatisfaction, discontent, disillusionment, and desperation. It is not hard to see why many of them seek to fill that void with drink, drugs, and excess.

Anthony Boyle’s Patrick gets to deliver an incendiary, impassioned eulogy on how their “generation is fucked”. Tearing down the issues with capitalism that have led to a world where the young have little hope of achieving the same level of security (whether it be employment, financial, property, or family) that their parents did.

The screenplay is superb. It takes the novel’s first-person monologues and crafts them into a narrative feature. With a large cast of central characters, it could easily have been turned into a mini-series. And yet, Barnard and Walsh succeed in giving everyone a full arc and resolution within the 109-minute runtime. All delivered by the fantastic array of established names like Joe Cole and Daryl McCormack, and rising stars like Anthony Boyle, Jay Lycurgo and Lola Pettigrew. While each individual delivers a great performance, together they are exceptional. The group dynamic delivers an authenticity that makes you believe they have been friends for a lifetime.

It is heavy-going at times, but the talent brings so much heart and hope to this gritty, bittersweet tale that deservedly won the People’s Choice Award at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes.

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is a raw and powerful piece of British cinema. Like how Trainspotting was for Millennials, this could be the film that speaks to, and for, Generation Z.

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning screened in the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival

Rating:

Director: Clio Barnard
Stars: Joe Cole, Anthony Boyle, Daryl McCormack, Jay Lycurgo, Lola Pettigrew
Runtime: 109 minutes
Country: UK