Dark Obsession (Horton, 2023)

Dark Obsession is about a young woman named Anne, who is a painter, struggling with her decisions and acts regarding her husband, Henry, who has mysteriously disappeared.

I had high hopes for Dark Obsession because often in films where the protagonist is an artist of sorts, we as viewers get to see the actions and emotions that go into their work. Unfortunately, I found that Dark Obsession lacked more than artistic creativity, it lacked plot and explanation. At the beginning of the film, specifically during the chess match, it is clear that something isn’t right in Henry and Anne’s marriage. However, the couple celebrates their anniversary like any normal couple until the next morning when Henry angrily leaves because he found one of Anne’s medications that he wasn’t aware she was on. After Henry leaves, this film progresses like a slug in a salt circle of madness. The viewers watch as Anne slowly moves on after Henry’s departure. She starts focusing on her art and begins the process of trying to sell the house after getting no answers from Henry in her attempts to contact him. However, one thing out of the normal is that Anne keeps hearing a voice whispering her name and other things. This process continues until Maggie, Henry’s sister, shows up at Anne’s to check on him because he was supposed to meet Maggie and his mother one weekend but he never showed up. Maggie explains that he sent an email saying he wouldn’t be able to make it and wasn’t heard from again. Anne informs Maggie that Henry has left her and that she doesn’t have a clue as to where he is. Anne eventually asks Maggie to stay the night, which is when Anne’s mood shift can be seen. She goes from being innocently scared and worried to being snappy and begins exhibiting a much darker attitude.

Throughout Dark Obsession there are many points that don’t have answers or reasons. Some examples may include her interaction with her neighbor, some of her past visions with her and Henry in his truck, the movement and alterations made to the painting she gave Henry on their anniversary, where the money in their bank account went, and even parts of Anne’s own delusion she has created for herself and others surrounding Henry’s disappearance.

I also found this film to be unnecessarily dramatic to the point that it made the entire experience less immersive. Every interaction with Anne has tense reactions on Anne’s part and tense music, even mundane actions such as her answering the phone or the scene where she is on the balcony trying to get to her room but all of the plants are in her way. These scenes have a dramatic flare that I don’t believe is entirely necessary. Dark Obsession is full of suspense, even moments that shouldn’t be suspenseful. I understand wanting to create a feeling of unease to keep viewers engaged and on their toes, however, I just became numb to the suspense because it wasn’t timed or paced, it was just there. I felt as though I was just watching the same instance over and over again until the end where all the secrets are revealed. I should also mention that I understand this film as a demonstration of Anne’s madness consuming her until she becomes comfortable with it, however, I still think it could use some improvement regarding clarity overall.

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t a fan of the art seen in this film and I also found several shots of this film to appear as lower budget. The painting Anne made for Henry on their anniversary lacked severely in my opinion as there weren’t many defining features in the picture besides the tiny house on the larger canvas and even then, the house could use more detail. Also, the last painting she created, and the only other painting she can be seen working on, was just a blob of scrambled colors at the end. I couldn’t make anything out of this painting. This isn’t a major factor or issue regarding the plot, however, I found the art to be lackluster and would’ve appreciated if the art reflected more for the viewers to decipher outside of that one specific change to her original piece. As for some of the lower budget shots, I found some of the close-ups of Anne’s face to be lower budget, and the transitions from her face to a shot with both her and Henry talking or arguing to be poorly done as well. This is because some of them were shaky (when they didn’t need to be), blurry, or at weird angles.

The little parts I enjoyed with Dark Obsession can be seen in the simple subtleties of the door jam plank seen when Henry is leaving but is later gone, or when Anne decides to obsessively clean after Henry leaves, even the revelation behind the voice Anne hears frequently throughout the film. I also enjoyed the revealing of the actual events at the end, but I don’t believe the build-up for the reveal was particularly masterful as the film felt flat until the truth came out. I believe Dark Obsession has a well-rounded story but lacks the storytelling it deserves.