Inde Navarrette is the breakout star of 2026, thanks to her chilling performance in Curry Barker's horror sensation Obsession. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where Focus Features quickly snapped up distribution rights. After a buzzy run at Fantastic Fest and rave reviews, the movie is now in theaters nationwide with a 94% Tomatometer score, 95% Popcornmeter, and an A- CinemaScore. Critics are already calling it a modern horror classic, and Navarrette's performance is being hailed as awards-worthy.
The story follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a man hopelessly in love with Nikki (Navarrette), who doesn't return his feelings. Desperate, Bear buys a novelty One Wish Willow and, lacking the courage to confess, uses it himself. He wishes that Nikki loves him more than anyone in the world. The wish works, but at a terrible cost: Nikki becomes a twisted version of herself, oscillating between sweet affection, devilish manipulation, and terrifying rage. Occasionally, the real Nikki breaks through, confused and terrified.
Navarrette explained the complex nature of Nikki's possession during an appearance on Collider Ladies Night. She described it as a mix of two ideas: either Nikki is fully aware of what's happening but can't control her actions, or she's teleporting in and out of consciousness. "We played with both," Navarrette said. "In the beginning, she's teleporting. Once she realizes what's going on, she fights the wish harder. That's why she has grief at the end—she's watched it happen, felt it, and has to deal with it."
The film's climax is already gut-wrenching. Bear tries to undo his wish with another willow, fails, and decides to end the wish by taking his own life. He swallows pills, but immediately regrets it. Before he can vomit them up, the possessed Nikki breaks the last willow, they kiss, and Bear dies of an overdose. The distraught, possessed Nikki prepares to shoot herself, but Bear's death ends the wish, and the real Nikki regains control, sobbing amid the carnage she had no part in.
But that ending wasn't always the plan. Navarrette revealed that the original ending was even darker. "We had an alternate ending where Nikki kills herself," she said. "We shot it. In the very end, she can't deal with the trauma and decides to die. Last minute, we decided to change it. Curry [Barker] said, 'No, she's a final girl. She wouldn't do that. She's gonna sit with the grief.'"
That decision gave the film a more hopeful, if still haunting, conclusion. Navarrette believes Nikki can move forward. "I think so," she said. "This is a beautiful moment that everybody goes through—you go through something you never thought you'd have to, and you carry it every day. But everybody has that. This is hers."
For more on the film's themes, check out Curry Barker Reveals the Darker Truth Behind 'Obsession': It's Not Possession, It's Toxic Love. And if you're looking for more mind-bending horror, 'Exit 8' Haunts Streaming Charts Like 'Inception' Meets 'The Shining'.
