Obsession (4 Stars)

This is the first film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

This year the Nights Festival is being held once more in the Metropol cinema, which I see as a mixed blessing. On the one hand it has a larger screen than the Innenstadt cinemas. On the other hand it's poorly organised. The season ticket holders have to sit in the sixth and eighth rows; why not the seventh? The snacks in cinemas are always expensive, but Metropol's prices are extortionate for the small selection that they offer. Before the film started there was an announcement in the foyer that food and drink bought elsewhere was not allowed in the cinema, because it would make other cinema patrons jealous if they saw us eating our own food. That doesn't make sense. When festivals were held in the Innenstadt cinemas it was expressly stated that food could be brought in because of the long days. When I went in this evening my bag was checked, and I was sent to put my bag in the cloakroom. The next few days I'll have to put my snacks in my coat pockets, where they won't be found.

"Obsession" is an enjoyable, though not perfect opening film. It's a supernatural horror film. It's about a young man called Bear who's had a crush on a woman called Nikki since high school. Now she works in the same store as him, but he still hasn't found the courage to ask her out. She's planning to move to another town, so he's desperate. He tries another method; he buys an item called a One Wish Willow, which allows him to make a single wish for anything he wants. Only $6.99. That's a bargain! He wishes that Nikki will love him until the day he dies. Yes, that works. The same day after work she invites him home. She can't get enough of him. But as the days go by, we see that her love has become an obsession. She kills any other girl who comes close to him.

The film starts slowly, but after the first half hour I was amazed. The jump scares are used effectively, which is something I can rarely say. I would have given the film five stars, if the final 15 minutes hadn't disappointed me.

It's still a reasonable opening film. Let's hope the next films are better.