If your Instagram feed is anything like mine, it’s flooded with clips from A24’s latest horror, Obsession.

Directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, Obsession follows the story of awkward Barron ‘Bear’ Bailey (Michael Johnston) who, instead of asking out his friend (or, y’know… admitting that he likes her when she explicitly asked…) wishes for “Nikki Freeman to love [him] more than anyone else in the world”.

Now, I won’t spoil the plot because I thoroughly believe this is a film worth seeing in cinemas for yourselves, but his wish is not without consequences.

Obviously.

Alongside a compelling performance from Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette stands out in her chilling, yet heartbreaking, portrayal of Nikki.

Historically, The Academy has awarded few Best Actress awards for performamces in the horror genre(s).

I believe that Inde Navarrette will be the next to hold that title.

Horror, in the Oscars Conversation

Only a handful of performances in the genre have broken through to win Best Actress. Kathy Bates won in 1991 for her chilling portrayal of Annie Wilkes in Misery, a performance that balanced volatility and vulnerability in unforgettable fashion.

The following year, Jodie Foster claimed the Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs, a film that fused horror and thriller elements, with Foster’s Clarice Starling providing its moral and emotional backbone.

More recently, Natalie Portman’s 2011 win for Black Swan (often categorised as psychological horror) demonstrated that when genre filmmaking intersects with prestige storytelling, the Academy can respond enthusiastically.

These wins remain the exception rather than the rule. Still, they demonstrate a precedent for transformative, psychologically-intense performances breaking through traditional genre bias.

A Performance Critics Can’t Shake

Obsession has landed itself an insane 95% rating on RottenTomatoes, scoring higher than other 2026 releases: Project Hail Mary at 94%; Hokum at 90%, and Hoppers at 94%… just for a control variable, I guess…

Toronto-based critic Adam Nayman writes that Navarrette is “a fearless actor with extraordinary physical and vocal control… […] quite simply a star-making performance.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that disagrees.

Navarrette, demonstrated throughout her existing filmography, is an actress with range, and this elevates Nikki from “horror’s equivalent to a manic pixie dream girl”, or “tragic horror heroine”, to a character with real depth and humanity. While we see very little of Nikki pre-One-Wish-Willow, Navarrette’s performance is what makes us care about Nikki, and gives this film real stakes.

Praised as a true psychological horror for the era of the incel, it is the idea that one man’s Obsession could strip such a vibrant and interesting character of her autonomy, and reduce her to the ‘Freaky Nikki’ that the clever marketing of this film played to: the crazy girlfriend, the crazy ex, and other misogynistic stereotypes women have become so accustomed to, that is so terrifying.

Worse, it becomes apparent that Nikki is completely conscious and lucid while the wish has a hold on her. She is a bystander to her own life, a first-person perspective to her own torture and puppetry.

This is layered with the strong sense of frustration and injustice that makes the film such an uncomfortable watch, and will keep us talking about it far beyond the conclusion of its theatrical run., the context

It’s impossible not to be in awe of the performances from this stellar cast, especially Navarrette. It’s the characterisation and subtext, and the silent understanding between women everywhere, that makes the closing screams of this film all the more haunting, and will keep us talking about it long past the end of its theatrical run.

From Teen Drama to Prestige Cinema

Wondering where you’ve seen Obsession’s leads before?

Likely where you least expect!

They didn’t come from a catologue of horrors; Navarrette and Johnston have starred in dramas you have almost definitely already seen (and I could talk forever about why returning dramas and ensemble-heavy shows are so important for providing access to the arts). Michael Johnston, for one, can be seen in ABC’s 9-1-1, guest-starring in two of its most recent episodes.

God, it was a satisfying day when I finally realised where I knew him from, as 9-1-1’s biggest, most unashamed fan.

Super in Obsession and beyond, Inde Navarrete’s repertoire includes roles such as Sarah Cushing in CW’s Superman and Lois, and Estela de la Cruz in Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, as a few indie (wink) shorts that are definitely worth a watch — Cranberry Nights is a personal favourite.

Whatever comes next for Inde Navarrette, we’re so fucking seated for it.