I wonder if the onslaught of social media has created the idea that whatever you make, you are advocating for--which in turn has created saintly perfect heroes and awful, small-minded villains. I have two little kids and EVERY children’s story has a deeper moral component than anything in mainstream movies lately.
Great shit, Tony. Interesting tweak that you saw him as buying the OWW for Nikki when I thought it was a great, ironic early character-revealing moment that he went in to buy a gift for Nikki and ultimately bought something for himself.
The WGA ought to print this up into little leaflets and have all their members go around passing them out all over town, preferably while wearing flower garlands around their heads.
Among other things, my favorite review of Obsession so far (my wife and I both thought it was terrific).
Also points for calling The Apartment perfect, which it was. Tho I think you undersold the need for moral growth in the two leads and the extent to whether viewers like myself who went in cold (ie never heard of it before stumbling across it on late night tv, or the original audience back in the day were worried the happy ending might fail to materialize, especially hearing that gunshot sounding pop as Shirley McClaine approaches Jack Lemon's door. The set up could have ended a couple of different ways that would have made it a still great but entirely different movie.
Anyway, great thoughts, thanks for the terrific article. And good to see you post again!
(Now back to my own moral quandary movie review, totally different movie and frame of reference)
The reason I didn’t like Baby Driver (excluding the action stuff) was because the “stuff to make you care” really could have been any old nonsense. It just felt tacked on to “make you care” (hint: I didn’t). The moral quandary is where the juice is. That’s the interesting stuff to write. Not that we should be moralising to the audience, but to show the grey areas which we all have - that’s how audience relate to the characters.
I didn’t like Obsession, but I’m glad someone made it. Does that make sense? Curry Barker clearly has talent, nerve, and command of the form. I’m glad a young filmmaker turned straw into gold and made a name for himself. I’m simply less convinced by the moral importance being assigned to the film.
Obsession knows what it condemns. It never seriously asks why Bear became the person capable of doing it, whether he understands what he has done, or what responsibility might require beyond his destruction. The film has a moral, certainly. What it lacks is a philosophy.
The film fits perfectly into the "anti-expert" thesis of our times. Forget morality; we're watching this film, waiting for this kid to get a clue, call the authorities, or run, for God's sakes. But the filmmaker says, no, his stupidity is greater. The film's greatest strength is its immediacy, and that's what makes it work. Curry Baker gambled and won that hand at Hollywood's movie-making casino. He won big. So he's a maverick for the moment. But I see his moment being more about being a maverick than the message the film delivered.
You captured in words ideas I didn’t even think had been thought out yet—goodness, this was good, but also, man, get out of my head haha. I am so inspired by the precision of the writing, the clarity of your thoughts. Thank you for this joy this morning.
I agree with all of this, but I would add another reason why studio suits might want Bear rewritten to be a hero: because they are Bear as written.
Also, do know John Collier's story "The Chaser" or the Twilight Zone episode based on it? It has the same premise as "Obsession," but the material is handled much differently.
You're spot on with this review (and shoutout to The Apartment as well, a forever favorite) and I like how you tied it into Hollywood decision-makers, outsiders, and gave an actionable (if much harder) route around it. I love the moral quandary movies and it is rare to see them become so successful, unless they're small. This was the rare one that was both true to itself and its story, and then proved itself and was catapulted to success through that big FF sale, marketing, then word of mouth. It's STILL playing in theaters, which is kind of miraculous. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on THE DRAMA, which is fully about moral quandaries and contemporary reactions to them, starring two of the biggest stars right now. It might be right up your alley if it doesn't rub you the wrong way. Glad to read your writing again anyhow!
I’ve been thinking about this all morning. I think the movie’s power extends beyond even what you so sagely said. The movie is a synthesis of both the survival plot and the moral choice plot. The moral choice to free her is what kills him. So you have the classic “will he survive?” horror plot combined with the more arthouse-y “will he make the moral decision?” plot, which was the thing that freaked out the execs.
I wonder if the onslaught of social media has created the idea that whatever you make, you are advocating for--which in turn has created saintly perfect heroes and awful, small-minded villains. I have two little kids and EVERY children’s story has a deeper moral component than anything in mainstream movies lately.
Great shit, Tony. Interesting tweak that you saw him as buying the OWW for Nikki when I thought it was a great, ironic early character-revealing moment that he went in to buy a gift for Nikki and ultimately bought something for himself.
Beautiful as always Tony. These essays are a gift. I hope the industry is listening.
The WGA ought to print this up into little leaflets and have all their members go around passing them out all over town, preferably while wearing flower garlands around their heads.
Among other things, my favorite review of Obsession so far (my wife and I both thought it was terrific).
Also points for calling The Apartment perfect, which it was. Tho I think you undersold the need for moral growth in the two leads and the extent to whether viewers like myself who went in cold (ie never heard of it before stumbling across it on late night tv, or the original audience back in the day were worried the happy ending might fail to materialize, especially hearing that gunshot sounding pop as Shirley McClaine approaches Jack Lemon's door. The set up could have ended a couple of different ways that would have made it a still great but entirely different movie.
Anyway, great thoughts, thanks for the terrific article. And good to see you post again!
(Now back to my own moral quandary movie review, totally different movie and frame of reference)
Great thoughts. Thx.
The reason I didn’t like Baby Driver (excluding the action stuff) was because the “stuff to make you care” really could have been any old nonsense. It just felt tacked on to “make you care” (hint: I didn’t). The moral quandary is where the juice is. That’s the interesting stuff to write. Not that we should be moralising to the audience, but to show the grey areas which we all have - that’s how audience relate to the characters.
I didn’t like Obsession, but I’m glad someone made it. Does that make sense? Curry Barker clearly has talent, nerve, and command of the form. I’m glad a young filmmaker turned straw into gold and made a name for himself. I’m simply less convinced by the moral importance being assigned to the film.
Obsession knows what it condemns. It never seriously asks why Bear became the person capable of doing it, whether he understands what he has done, or what responsibility might require beyond his destruction. The film has a moral, certainly. What it lacks is a philosophy.
The film fits perfectly into the "anti-expert" thesis of our times. Forget morality; we're watching this film, waiting for this kid to get a clue, call the authorities, or run, for God's sakes. But the filmmaker says, no, his stupidity is greater. The film's greatest strength is its immediacy, and that's what makes it work. Curry Baker gambled and won that hand at Hollywood's movie-making casino. He won big. So he's a maverick for the moment. But I see his moment being more about being a maverick than the message the film delivered.
You captured in words ideas I didn’t even think had been thought out yet—goodness, this was good, but also, man, get out of my head haha. I am so inspired by the precision of the writing, the clarity of your thoughts. Thank you for this joy this morning.
Really enjoyed this. Also loved The Insider, I should give that a rewatch.
I agree with all of this, but I would add another reason why studio suits might want Bear rewritten to be a hero: because they are Bear as written.
Also, do know John Collier's story "The Chaser" or the Twilight Zone episode based on it? It has the same premise as "Obsession," but the material is handled much differently.
Well written!
I’m so happy someone else misses movies like The Verdict and The Insider.
Boy, did this resonate with me and the impossible thing I'm writing.
You're spot on with this review (and shoutout to The Apartment as well, a forever favorite) and I like how you tied it into Hollywood decision-makers, outsiders, and gave an actionable (if much harder) route around it. I love the moral quandary movies and it is rare to see them become so successful, unless they're small. This was the rare one that was both true to itself and its story, and then proved itself and was catapulted to success through that big FF sale, marketing, then word of mouth. It's STILL playing in theaters, which is kind of miraculous. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on THE DRAMA, which is fully about moral quandaries and contemporary reactions to them, starring two of the biggest stars right now. It might be right up your alley if it doesn't rub you the wrong way. Glad to read your writing again anyhow!
I’ve been thinking about this all morning. I think the movie’s power extends beyond even what you so sagely said. The movie is a synthesis of both the survival plot and the moral choice plot. The moral choice to free her is what kills him. So you have the classic “will he survive?” horror plot combined with the more arthouse-y “will he make the moral decision?” plot, which was the thing that freaked out the execs.