figure my heart out @spacesafari - Tumblr Blog

acshually, I do think there is intentional and deliberate ambiguity on whether or not real Nikki had feelings for Bear, because the question that uncertainty ultimately asks us is "would it have made a difference?" (and the answer is No.)

Because there are several instances and pieces of dialogue that you could argue indicates that Nikki was interested: "No one can tell when I'm into someone." "I want to experience love." "You're the only person I can talk to this stuff about." Then there are moments that delicately tiptoe the line and you could argue either case: When she brings up Sarah's crush to Bear — is she testing the waters on behalf of a friend? Or is she testing the waters for herself? When she puts Bear on the spot and asks if he likes her, is she giving him the opportunity to confess, or the opportunity for herself to shut down any feelings he might have? And then there are moments that seem to solidly indicate that she doesn't like him like that at all. (eg. her charming little hansel and gretel rendition)

(Personally, I find myself leaning towards the notion she was a little interested in him? Not anywhere near the level of interest that Bear had in her, mind you, but those bits of dialogue on the car ride to her house, especially upon second viewing, comes across like girl who wants the guy she's interested in to come out and say that he likes her. That she's aware of his feelings and is giving him (multiple) opportunities to confess, especially in the context of her "we're out of time Bear" line. Sort of a "hey, it's now or never" thing. I also don't think that this is necessarily incompatible with her Hansel and Gretel story, or that she was necessarily lying either to Sarah about having viewed him as a brother -- the movie indicates they've all been friends since (at least) high school, and I could very well imagine her perceiving him as strictly a sandbox friend for the majority of their relationship... until she didn't anymore. (much in the same way Bear wasn't interested in Sarah until it became evident he was starting to be.) I also like the layer of sad irony it introduces to the story -- that had Bear confessed, maybe things could have blossomed organically between the two (...but given his innate personality and character flaws, still would have imploded lmao, just not at the same scale of destruction) )

But in the end, it doesn't matter! Whether or not she liked Bear would have made no difference. We so rarely got a picture of who true Nikki was because Bear's wish steals that from us, and so much of what we learn of her is telephoned through other characters or obscured by the Entity's perversion of Nikki. Anything she might have felt is instantly ruined the moment he makes that wish. Bear's selfishness, his fear of rejection, of momentary embarrassment, the sheer possibility that she might tell him no, supersedes everything else.

acefuruya

nikki breaks my heart so bad because in the brief moments we see her before the wish kicks in, she's so cool and funny, clearly kindhearted, very driven about her future (telling bear about how she was going to quit her job to focus on her writing), and also very sure of herself as a person. ive seen people describe this movie as "mean-spirited" and I think thats so apt because it was a 2 hour long tragedy of the torture of this innocent girl, taking away everything she's ever had, including her own sense of self, putting her through unimaginable horrors, and leaving her with nothing except the three dead bodies of her friends, with the one who she trusted most being the one who did this to her. nothing for her to look for hope in, because she has nothing before her except a lifetime in prison or in an institution. it would be one thing if the movie ended on a note like weapons, where everything was over and there would hopefully be recovery somewhere down the line, but here, not only was the evil not committed by a random stranger but her closest friend, but she doesn't get any chance at recovery either. so goddamn tragic. on that note, if anyone can come up with some sort of fix-it for nikki please link it to me because I will be crying about this girl forever.

shouts-into-the-void

One thing about Obsession (2026) that I enjoyed was that it almost asks you to feel empathy for the entity possessing Nikki as well as the real one. Like, obviously the things she's doing are horrific and fucked up, but I think the scene where Bear is asking her to "just be Nikki!" and she eventually just desperatly screams "I can't be Nikki!" does a really good job of showcasing the entity's inner feelings. She's been created with the sole purpose of loving this guy more than anyone else but no matter how perfect it is or how much he claims to love her, its not her that he loves, its Nikki. And any time she stops pretending to be Nikki, he reacts (albeit rightfully) with disgust and horror. She can't be Nikki because Nikki would never love Bear, and so Bear will never love her.

acefuruya

the longer I sit with obsession the more empathy I start to feel for entity!nikki. this creature that was created solely to love one person with this all-encompassing intensity that needed to be stronger than anything anyone felt in the entire world. entity!nikki whose entire world was just one single focal point; she'd do anything for bear to love her. she didn't know anything when she came into existence, but she was willing to do anything to get this man to fall for her.

it must have been equally terrifying for her as it was for the real nikki to have someone else fight for control over what you perceive as your body. the scene where she's sobbing in the corner, terrified of her dreams is now more sad than terrifying to me. real nikki, who had just been raped by her once best friend hurting so badly that it seeps into entity!nikki's nightmares. entity!nikki who doesn't understand why the thing she wanted so badly is causing her so much pain. why she can't bring herself to lie in bed next to him.

and the worst part is bear doesn't even seem to like her. she's trying so so hard; she made a lovely memorial for his dead cat, she waited for him to come home all day without moving an inch, she made sure to be the most doting girlfriend at the party, and he's not pleased by any of it. he seems disturbed and angry and scared and she has no idea what to do to make it better. to make it worse, he keeps asking her to behave like the original nikki but he was the one who wished for her!! but she tries to be her anyways but she can't because the original nikki didn't love bear even a fraction of how much she does!

she can't seem to reconcile it; he wanted her so badly he wished for it and now he doesn't want her anymore. she doesn't know what to do. she tries everything. she obsesses over him, she threatens to hurt herself, she gets rid of that bitch sarah who keeps distracting him and trying to steal him away, and then dresses in her clothes for good measure and he still doesn't want her.

and then finally in a fit of desperation, she makes the wish and for one beautiful moment its all perfect. he's finally looking at her the way she looks at him. and then he's dead and she's lost everything.

her entire existence, from the moment of her conception to her death was painful, and confusing, and so very sad.

absolutelymessedup

You're so right about all of this. But I got sad you called Sarah a bitch, she was too good for Bear and probably was Nikki's best friend. Her death was so unfair

the-killing-of-a-sacred-deer

I think Natalie will always be Misty's queen

doyouwanttoseeabug

oh OOOOOOH their deaths mirror each other. Tamerlane and Leo are both driven to what looks like suicide chasing hallucinations around an apartment that architecturally represents their psyche (as they destroy it), shortly after leaving/planning to leave their loving partner. (Both of them invite her in, at first. Both of them want her there. But now she's in the mirrors. She's in the walls.)

Vic and Camille are both killed/driven to death by Vic's experiments, their rivalry leading to both their deaths (Camille to prove it doesn't work, Vic to prove it does), immediately after they get left by people they are using in professional/personal ways - Camille hires Toby and Tina to sleep with them, Vic dates Ali to get her to work with her on the heart mesh.

Perry and Frederick both die in the same warehouse, looking at the ceiling, waiting for death to come to them - Perry with a look of ecstasy, Frederick in terror. Both of them are in that warehouse because they've been humiliated by Roderick and are now determined to prove themselves. Both get led here by drugs. Both involve the mutilation of an innocent, Morrie. Both of them see Verna not as another character, but something like her true self. And there's the parallel between all the mercy that Verna offers Perry - the most she offers any of them, other than Lenore - and her glee in explaining to Roderick exactly why he deserves to die like this.

And then you get the final pairing/quartet of deaths - Eliza Usher + William Longfellow vs Madeline and Roderick which is obvious but oh my god. oh my god you guys. Eliza's wall of crucifixes and clinging to Christian faith and the sanctity of pain as a way of hoping for reward after death vs Roderick putting Madeline through the agony of vivisection to 'honour' her + grant her Egyptian immortality. Both William and Roderick eat their young. Fuck.