---
title: 'OBSESSION Breakdown, Film Analysis And Ending Explained | Hidden Details, Easter Eggs And Making Of'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=ma_ggKF3Aj8'
video_id: 'ma_ggKF3Aj8'
date: 2026-07-01
duration_sec: 3952
---

# OBSESSION Breakdown, Film Analysis And Ending Explained | Hidden Details, Easter Eggs And Making Of

> Source: [OBSESSION Breakdown, Film Analysis And Ending Explained | Hidden Details, Easter Eggs And Making Of](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ma_ggKF3Aj8)

## Summary

This video provides a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of the horror film 'Obsession', directed by Curry Barker. It explores the film's central themes of illusion, control, and the destructive nature of obsession, while also uncovering hidden details, Easter eggs, and behind-the-scenes information. The analysis focuses on how the film uses its low budget to create a deeply unsettling psychological horror experience.

### Key Points

- **The Core Illusion** [00:00] — The film's most famous scene shows Bear confronting Nikki about faking her dad's cancer. Instead of denying it, she asks 'Then why does it matter?' to preserve the fantasy. Bear accepts this because it's easier than dealing with the reality of her lies.
- **Record-Breaking Budget** [04:12] — The film was made on a budget of $750,000 and has become one of the most profitable movies of all time, signaling a change in cinema towards more psychological horror.
- **Comedy to Horror Transition** [04:58] — Director Curry Barker came from a sketch comedy background ('That's a Bad Idea'), and the film's success follows a trend of comedy filmmakers transitioning to horror, like Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger.
- **Opening Scene Symbolism** [06:09] — The opening scene at the diner sets up the theme of illusion, as Bear is actually talking to a waitress, not Nikki. This foreshadows how his image of love is all an act.
- **Character Name Symbolism** [09:45] — Bear's name is a reference to the viral question about whether women would rather be left alone in the woods with a bear or a man, highlighting that he is a predator.
- **The One Wish Willow Origin** [20:40] — The 'One Wish Willow' was inspired by the Monkey's Paw and a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode. It is designed to look like a cheap, hokey toy, not a typical creepy horror item.
- **The Green Man Shop** [18:48] — The shop is called 'The Green Man', a folklore figure associated with rebirth and the cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for.
- **Cinematography Style** [22:40] — The cinematography was inspired by David Fincher's work, particularly 'Seven', with murky, grim visuals and centered framing that leaves empty space, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
- **Nikki's Brief Breakthrough** [42:02] — The real Nikki breaks through when Bear confronts her about her father's cancer, screaming 'No!' repeatedly. This is her rejecting the lie, but the entity quickly takes over again.
- **The Only Way Out** [49:16] — The only way to break the wish is for Bear to die, as explained by the customer service line. Bear is given a chance to cancel the wish but refuses.
- **Ian's Selfish Wish** [60:44] — Ian wishes for a billion dollars instead of helping his friend, which leads to his death as the money falls on him. This shows the selfishness of all characters.
- **Nikki's Fate** [63:04] — Nikki is left alive, surrounded by the dead bodies of her friends, and will likely be charged with triple homicide. The ending is bleak and tragic.

## Transcript

Okay, so one of the most twisted parts 
of Obsession happens in what's probably  
the movie's most famous scene. No, no, no.
In it, Bear confronts Nikki about her faking her 
dad's cancer, and we see her breakdown because  
they were having a nice time. How about 
rather than denying or saying he's wrong,  
she simply says something so they can go back to 
the fantasy. Nikki's asking him not to break the  
illusion because this is what would 
destroy Bear's wish. She even asks,  
"Then why does it matter?" Because if things 
seem right on the surface, then what does it  
matter if something darker is going on behind 
it? This is also something that Bear accepts  
as well because it's easier than dealing with 
the reality that she lied. Bear is also happy  
to stay in the fantasy because in his mind, this 
is everything he wanted. However, it's all fake.  
And this is exemplified when we jump cut to the 
pair having sex. Nikki clearly isn't enjoying it,  
but is just going through the motions much like 
Bear. The fact that Nikki asks why does it matter  
as well is showing that she's really asking Bear 
how much he's willing to ignore and ignore things  
he does. Though the real Nikki constantly leaves 
clues throughout that she isn't in control, Bear  
ignores this to keep up the illusion. Bear knows 
that Nikki just doesn't love him without the wish,  
which also stops him from really connecting to 
her. Nikki also can't connect with Bear because,  
as we know, this isn't the real Nikki. But to 
bear, he's got everything he wanted. And the  
movie is all about how much he's willing to ignore 
things and put up with this fake Nikki. One of the  
creepiest ones happens when Nikki's asleep, and we 
see she begs for death. Bear once more chooses to  
ignore it, though, and this leads to the death 
of Sarah and even himself. Had the character  
respected Nikki's wishes rather than his own, 
then he wouldn't have damned everyone to a life of  
despair. Nikki ends up becoming his prisoner, who 
puts on a happy face because it's what Bear wants.  
She completely loses her autonomy and becomes 
trapped in this vessel behind something that  
looks human. Now, another big moment happens 
when she stands in the corner of the bedroom.  
She looks otherworldly, which is a testament to 
the makeup artist Kate Algera. Fantastic effect,  
and there's obviously a lot of subtext here with 
her basically losing her humanity completely,  
which is why the face looks off. It's uncanny and 
distorted with it appearing almost mannequin-like,  
and mannequins are, of course, figures that 
look human, but they obviously have no autonomy  
or agency. It also plays into Bear's desires 
to strip her of who she really is. He's taken  
her personality, her dreams, and desires, and 
reduced her to what an empty husk. Even the no
feels like a direct nod to Get Out, which 
also tackles similar things. No, no, no,  
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 
Beyond that, I think the film tackles the idea  
of how obsession is a poison chalice. Sure, if 
someone's obsessed with you, they might love you  
and hit the thumbs up, but you have to wonder 
what it's like for them. Obsession can lead to  
that person feeling anxiety and fear. And when 
they think the person doesn't love them back,  
it then puts them in a position where they then 
desire control. Thus, they'll go to more extreme  
things to try and get the person to love them 
and control what they want. And ultimately,  
this destroys everything around them. This is even 
explained away at one point when Bear looks up the  
conditions that Nikki's shown. Now, this site 
details the effects of Molly, which initially  
is used to explain why Nikki is acting like she 
is. However, these side effects are also similar  
to mental health issues with there being anxiety, 
mood swings, paranoia, and confusion, which are  
all things Nikki exhibits. Barker explained how 
when two people are obsessed with each other,  
how they'll end up being destructive. Also 
think that the film focuses on how love  
makes you blind and what you'll be willing to 
put up with just to be with the one you love.  
Bear is the only perspective that we follow 
throughout the movie. And at no point do we cut  
to any other characters. We only ever see things 
through Bear's eyes and only get his perspective.  
So everything is his self-centered worldview 
where he and his wishes are the most important  
thing. It's the ultimate tale of Be careful 
what you wish for. And throughout this video,  
we're going to be breaking it all down. Welcome 
to the Heavy Spoilers Show. I'm your host,  
Paul, and my one wish is that you follow us 
through this video as we go through obsession.
It's a horror that along with back rooms has lit 
up the box office and might even be a sign that  
cinema is changing. Made on Omega $750,000, it's 
now become one of the most profitable movies of  
all time. Beyond its accomplishments, though, I 
think the reason for the film's success is the  
fact that it's got so much going on with it. 
There's hidden details, lots of things you'll  
miss, and just tons of talking points going on 
beneath the surface. In this video, I want to  
analyze the movie and talk about everything 
that this film has going on with it. Also,  
check out our obsession inspired shirts at the 
merch store below along with the rest of the  
spoiler collection that's got lots of shirts 
based on big big horror movies. We've also  
got a massive sale running right now for summer 
and lots of discounts that all help videos like  
this get made. Now, Obsession was written and 
directed by Curry Barker, who made his name with  
a sketch comedy channel. That's a bad idea. This 
is something he worked on with his friend Cooper  
Tomlinson who also plays in in this movie. Now 
Barka is the latest sketch comedy filmmaker to  
make superb horror movies with Zack Greger putting 
out Barbarian and Weapons. Jordan Peele of course  
cut his teeth in comedy and I think horror is 
just a natural evolution. To me, comedy requires  
really good timing, which is something that horror 
requires as well. Lingering on that creepy moment  
for a second too long, dropping the scare at the 
perfect moment. They're all things that rely on  
timing. Comedy can also lower the audience's 
guard. And when it's used in the horror,  
it can really heighten the scares. But it's clear 
that Barker wanted to follow in Peele's footsteps.  
And he even said on the Dead Meat podcast that 
the biggest influence in his career has been Key  
and Peele. Speaking with The New Yorker, Barker 
also explained that he grew up being obsessed  
with horror movies starting in 2003. That was 
with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Uh,  
and it's something that's going to prove 
quite handy as he's also helming A24's reboot  
of it. But Obsession is a film that I've become 
obsessed with myself. And throughout this video,  
we're going to be going through it all. No one on 
this earth will ever comprehend what it feels like  
to love someone as much as I love you. Now, we 
open the movie with Bear spilling his guts to what  
we're supposed to think is Nikki. Well, that is 
if you hadn't seen the trailer and the countless  
memes flooding the internet. I was actually h on 
holiday when this movie dropped. So, I didn't see  
it opening weekend. to air. But yeah, by Monday, 
I think myself and everyone had seen Nikki's face  
a thousand times. Thematically, this also sets 
up what the movie is about and perfectly plays  
into how we'll not really see the real Nikki. The 
person opposite him isn't who he thinks she is,  
and that's something that's a key point throughout 
the film. Bear is still spilling his heart out,  
though, but he's keeping up the act he loves her 
when really he knows it's not her. So, this just  
lays the groundwork for everything to come, 
and it's the perfect way to open up the film.  
One thing I like is how he's sitting in a diner 
as well, which is something that's used in lots  
of different romcoms, and most notably in When 
Harry Met Sally. He's also placed on the same side  
of the table as the restaurant later on, and it 
just nicely lays the groundwork for that scene. As  
he spells his guts, I also feel like he's trying 
to write a romance story. This is something that  
he and Nikki talk about later as we learn she's 
writing a love story, which bear conflates with  
a romance. One shows though that the pair on 
different pages with romance and love being two  
different things. Romance to me, if you're asking, 
uh, that's always been that passionate spark where  
there's an excitement and you do gestures to show 
that you care. On the flip side of this, though,  
love is a steady and more meaningful foundation 
that goes beyond just superficial acts. Now,  
to me, the wish currently makes someone fall 
in love with you, but it can make it seem like  
there's a romantic connection between you. But 
I feel like Bear doesn't really understand love,  
so he mistakes romance for that, just like 
he does with his story. It's a romance. No,  
it's not a romance. It's a love story. Isn't that 
the same thing? What's really cool as well is that  
Bear says he doesn't talk like this and almost 
snaps out of his monologue. This is something that  
we see Nikki do later on when the real Nikki wakes 
up and is horrified at what's happening. His words  
also kind of echo what the wish did to Nikki. 
Sorry, this is weird. I I don't talk like this.  
No, it's okay. Which is something he struggles 
with throughout the speech. He knows this isn't  
how he should be acting, but he puts himself back 
on track to try and show he loves her. How about  
he breaks throughout the movie before fully 
coming unraveled at the end, much like Nikki,  
he's even coaxed along by Ian, who if we seen 
this scene as being a metaphor for the movie,  
um you could see Ian as being in the situation. 
I feel like I'm coming apart. This obviously  
also foreshadows Nikki's mental state. This 
speech is all about obsession and how he's  
losing control of himself thinking about Nikki. 
So, in order to gain this, he makes the wish,  
which ultimately gives him complete power over 
her. It's also a speech where he says how she did  
nice things for him, but in Bear's view, kindness 
means that she must like him. Nikki even seems  
to treat him like a friend and was constantly 
checking up on him when he moved. As we learn,  
she's estranged from her dad as well and possibly 
came here alone in a similar situation. We then  
get to see that he's just talking to a waitress, 
which is a great way to show how his image of love  
is all in act. How about the waitress opposite 
loves the monologue, and he probably could have  
even hooked up with her. There's also the 
character Sarah, who we discover likes him  
as well. And this is the first hint that he could 
have broken out of his loneliness and found love  
with someone who loved him back, but he's just 
got that tunnel vision for Nikki. An obsession,  
if you will. The obsession at this point exists 
solely on his side. And this leaves him an anxious  
wreck that's constantly thinking about her, even 
saying he thinks about her with every song. Then  
I would choose you over everything. Bear is of 
course the villain of the movie though, and he  
completely strips Nikki of her agency and makes 
her a slave. I also wonder if the name bear was  
uh meant to be a play on that recent question or 
survey thing. Can't remember exactly what it was,  
but about how women would rather be left alone 
in the woods with a bear than a man. You know  
the one, it went viral. But the point is, bears a 
wolf in sheep's clothing and a bear is of course  
a predator. So his name highlights the danger that 
he brings. Ian then snaps him out of the monologue  
by saying that it's cringey. Ian seems to know 
what Nikki would like and says how she'd vomit at  
this kind of thing. as we learn he's actually been 
sleeping with Nikki behind Be's back for 2 years,  
all while coaching Be on how to get with her. 
How about there is a read here that he's actually  
sabotaging Be's chances, especially because he 
suggests calling her freaky Nikki. According to  
Ironb trivia, this is what her bullies used to 
call her at school, and this is why she hates  
the nickname. So, yeah, not a good move there. 
Not a good plan. Cotton, let's see if it pays  
off for him. Upon second viewing though, you 
can see the major disparity between the pair  
as a distinct lack of understanding of who Nikki 
is. Ian thinks he knows what his friend should do  
as he's sleeping with her. However, as she later 
says, she's looking for love, which he's not able  
to provide. The waitress also suggests getting 
her something nice, which he does later on, going  
against Ian's advice of just being less sappy. 
The waitress then reels off ideas, and Ian just  
dismisses her by saying, "Flowers, the candy that 
she said she likes." Okay, thank you. What? Thank  
you. He then pretty rudely h just brushes her 
away and it shows how women are just objects to  
Ian. Nikki ends up becoming this to bear as well 
and Ian's nature starts to seep into how he acts.  
But like Nikki, the waitress is just a prop for 
them and is sent back to her job as soon as she's  
not needed. And I bet they didn't tip her either. 
Bear also says, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you  
do that." No, it's okay. You're okay. just pretend 
like you're good. Foreshadowing that he will make  
Nikki do things later on. What I like as well is 
that Bear is thoroughly pathetic. Like I kind of  
expected Jack Quaid's character and companion, but 
we get a total sap. You are one pathetic loser.  
Ian asks Bear if he's ever even flirted with her 
and then mentions he shouldn't buy romance again.  
He's another dude who mentions romance whereas 
Nikki said that she's looking for something more.  
He then basically says to neg her and this is 
Ian kind of sabotaging Bear's chances as he  
knows it's going to piss her off. Ian also says 
that Bear should ask her for a drink. But Bear  
quickly replies saying how she always invites Ian. 
And guys, if you ask out a girl you like and she  
replies with, "Who else is going to be there? I've 
got some bad news that you might want to sit down  
for." Now Nikki, as we learn, is going through 
an existential crisis which is probably spurred  
on by constantly going back to the guy who doesn't 
actually like her. Ian even says, "All you have is  
time." Which is the total opposite of Nikki, who 
feels like time is running out. However, Barker  
has hinted that just before the movie kicked 
off, Ian called off the secret situationship  
uh or the entanglement, if you will. Also wondered 
if Nikki just carelessly shooting Ian at the end  
represents a side of her that's angry that she was 
just tossed away by the character and now she's  
also doing the same thing back with his life. But 
each of the friend group is in a similar state of  
arrested development. And even Sarah is applying 
to college in her mid20s. Think it's such a good  
way to open up the film though. And as he repeats 
the phrase, "All you have is time." We then cut to  
his dead cat. Talk about the cat uh more in just 
a bit, but it's actually got a lot of hidden depth  
to it. The reason that I want to focus on this 
opening a bit more though is because originally  
when they were making the movie, we were going to 
have something slightly different. The movie was  
actually going to start with the TV similar to how 
we cut to the credits at the end. A romantic movie  
would be playing on it and the camera would then 
pan down to the cat and bear crying. This would  
then mirror the ending where we see Nikki on the 
couch and be like a full circle moment of grief.  
Cody thought it would be cool to have the opening 
mirror the ending. How about this was cut due to  
test audience reactions. They were also frustrated 
that Bear wasn't trying harder to fix the wish and  
what it had done to Nikki. How about Barker 
decided to instead double down and show why  
he didn't want to fix the wish and instead wanted 
to sign post that he was desperate to make things  
work even though it was hopeless. Either way, the 
cat somehow got into the pill bottles. And I love  
how it says, "Do not eat on the bottom. You're 
supposed to put the warnings on the front, mate.  
How's the cat supposed to read that?" But for some 
reason, he's still got all of his grandmother's  
medicine, including her pulse. It shows how he 
holds on to things even if they're dangerous,  
and very much establishes things with Nikki. also 
subtly shows that Bear struggles with his mental  
health. The lid's so insecure as well, an animal 
can just knock it over. The medicine cabinet also  
doesn't close first time, and he was barely 
keeping a lid on things which led to his cat's  
death. And that is subtext for Nikki. Bear's 
carelessness is what caused the cat to perish,  
though, and his carelessness with the wish causes 
everyone's death. Now, though, I don't think  
Wish Nikki is the soul of the cat come back. 
Uh, which I have seen your theory times. Um,  
I've read them. I'm not sure. Uh, but I do think 
the cat is here for a specific reason. Like Nikki,  
the cat was left in the house on its own, and Bear 
tosses its body away in the bin bag, showing how  
little regard he has for things that he loves. He 
also keeps it in the house long after its death,  
showing how he can't let go. Should have let Nikki 
go much earlier in the movie, but couldn't bring  
himself to do it. You can also see the cat as 
representing Curiosity, and how, say it with me,  
curiosity killed the cat. The cat dies much like 
how Bear does because Bear is curious about the  
one wish Willow and he sets in place a chain of 
events that will lead to his death. The pills also  
highlight his own issues and explain why he's 
deeply insecure and controlling. We also learn  
through this that the name of his grandma was 
Barbara and the pills helped to set up the ending  
where he takes them to end the curse. But yeah, 
nothing's going right for him. He cries and we  
also see photos of his friend group who are called 
the Bassclft Bandits. As we can see, they were all  
in the school band, which is also presumably why 
they ended up working at a music store. We can see  
the photos taken in a photo booth, and the first 
one looks like he's almost dragging Nikki in there  
and forcing her to be there. That is subtext. 
The second is the pair together with Bear smiling  
while Nikki looks pissed off. The third is Bear 
looking sad while Nikki holds Ian looking happy,  
showing where her heart may possibly lie. The 
last one has Ian with his eyes crossed out,  
and as we know, he's killed at the end. Sarah is 
also lying across and wearing red, also hinting  
at her death. And Nikki looks angry as Sarah's 
lying on Ian. It's an amazing bit of set design  
and basically spells out the plot of the movie. 
Hints at Bear wasn't happy that Ian jumped into  
the booth and ruined his moment with Nikki and 
he may subconsciously dislike him. Also, I think  
Michael Johnson's superb as Bear throughout and 
he really plays the sniveling coward character  
so well. Also love how the obsession titles 
stitched into the duvet cover. And we cut to  
bear scrolling through Nikki's Instagram. You 
can see he's like the post along with Cooper  
Tomlinson who again plays Ian. Really makes you 
think about how stalking works now though. And  
uh like back in the day, back in the day when 
I was a kid, mate. Uh you didn't have access to  
someone through your phone 24/7. You [ __ ] kids. 
Uh when I was young and I liked a girl at school  
and like uh we broke up for the summer holidays. 
That was it. I didn't see her doing anything.  
I didn't see videos of her, didn't see photos of 
her for about 6 weeks. She was gone and it was  
a healthier way to live. Nowadays though, you can 
just crack open your phone and can instantly check  
in on your crush. So, the obsession can become 
even stronger because this person can be with you  
every moment of your life and yet also not with 
you. When they're on your phone though, they're  
not really there and are trapped behind a screen 
looking perfect, much like how Nikki's trapped by  
bear and forced to betray the image that he wants. 
Nikki then calls and my guy must have felt like he  
was kismmet. We can also see that he's put love 
emojis in her name. Uh which is like the ultimate  
simp move. He instantly smiles though even though 
he's grieving. Um uh but the conversation just  
seems to be about work. They don't really have 
much chemistry on the phone either and it just  
seems like they're friends. Now the creative team 
did say that they shot every scene twice with one  
being where Nikki was into bear and one where she 
wasn't. Only they know how they cut them but I do  
think it adds some ambiguity. bearing the grief of 
his cat's death, he doesn't want to go to trivia  
night cuz he is a bit of a mess. Uh, so she then 
says she was going to tell him something, which  
turns out that she's putting her two weeks notice. 
Hold on. Is that another romcom reference? Well,  
her reason is that they're running out of time 
and the camera cuts to the Kit Kat clock. This  
probably hurts more now that Sandy's dead and 
it plays in the crisis that things are finite.  
His cat has just shown how quickly things can be 
stripped away and thus Bear doesn't want to lose  
this chance to confess his feelings. Also love 
the music here and it abruptly cuts after he says  
tonight's the night and Nikki drops her necklace. 
Very funny how she's having like a bit of a mini  
crisis and he has no idea what to say. He sort of 
just stun locked by it and he seems to want her  
to be the perfect idea of what he has in his head 
much like he does later on when he tells her to  
be normal. Cutting to the new age hippie shop, the 
assistant is then talking to a friend on the phone  
and asks why would she even say that. I love the 
way that she's used throughout the movie and she's  
much like Nikki and kind of disconnected from 
everything going on around her, sort of dipping  
in and out and she's also got a voice in her head. 
We can also see that the shop is called the green  
man, which is a folklore figure usually associated 
with rebirth. The figure also heavily centers  
around the idea of being careful what you wish for 
as the Arurian legend has a knight beheading the  
green man to gain glory and notoriety. However, 
he has to return to the figure one year later to  
take his penins which ultimately leads to his 
death. Side note, we've actually been working  
on a breakdown of the Green Knight movie h that 
we are going to drop around the Odyssey. So, make  
sure you subscribe for that. However, I'm hesitant 
to look uh too much into at the Green Man meaning  
here as it's actually the name of the location in 
real life. This was shot in Burbank, California,  
and you can go there if you want. Beyond that, 
there's also the music stalker sells music, which  
is a real place as well. You may recognize it from 
Wayne's World, and this is where Goth performs a  
Neil Peresque drum solo and Stairway to Heaven's 
Band. But yeah, the shop assistant's great,  
and she's also played a shop assistant in Barker's 
other work. He then asks to see the crystal  
necklaces, and he has no idea if she's talking to 
him or not. It highlights a level of detachment  
and how women of this world aren't really engaged 
with him. We can also see his distorted reflection  
in the mirror, showing how at this moment, he's a 
shell of himself. This is something that mirrors  
how Nikki looks when she stands in the corner, 
which also highlights the same idea. She says that  
the rose quartz attracts love, but he just asks 
for good energy. She then mentions Citroen, and  
this is known to bring wealth. Don't know if it's 
intentional or not. Uh, but obviously, you know,  
Bear wishes for good energy in a way in getting 
love. Um, and Ian also asks for a billion dollars.  
So, maybe it's foreshadowing that, but Bear says 
Nikki would hate that in regards to the stone. and  
it just further shows how she's not fixated on 
money, which is why she shouldn't be with Ian.  
He then sees the very 40s/50s toys that would be 
advertised in comic books. And this kind of fits  
in with the art deco clock in his home. It's 
also a magic eye inspired by the eye of Horus,  
which Nikki has a tattoo of, a chromoscope, 
a voodoo doll, and something on the right,  
which I can't quite make out. In the middle, 
though, is the one wish Willow, which is the  
McGuffin of the movie. This was actually inspired 
by the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode,  
episode 2. and in that Lisa dreams that Homer had 
a cursed monkeykey's paw. Each wish was granted  
but had unforeseen side effects such as Lisa 
wishing for world peace only for the planet to be  
taken over by Kang and Kronos. That story itself 
was inspired by WW Jacobs the monkeykey's poor in  
which wishes are granted that have a double-edged 
sword to them. In it, there's a father who wishes  
for £200 to pay a final mortgage payment only 
for it to come from his son's life insurance.  
Barker was also inspired by the idea of a what 
if Willy Wonka were evil? Hell, police murder and  
what might happen when people are so obsessed with 
each other that kind of like an inverse of 2025s  
together. And I will also die on the hill that 
Willy Wonka was also kind of evil. Either way,  
the one wish Willow is intended to look like a 
cheap joke toy. And speaking with behind the lens,  
Barker explained that he wanted the mcguffin 
to be something hokey or shop bought as opposed  
to the usual creepy horror magic stuff. kind of 
reminds me a lot of big as well and the sort of  
I don't know like hokey magician thing there. As 
he turns him over, we also see a cat on the back  
as the company that makes them is called Tabbyat 
and it's curiosity killed the cat. This feels like  
an omen though and every time there's a cat, it 
leads into Baker making the wrong choice. There's  
also a phone number which Bear calls later and the 
voice on the other end is actually Curry Barker.  
Beyond that, Tabby is also not to his YouTube 
channel. That's a bad idea, Tabby. But yeah,  
Bear opts to buy the One Wish Willow and the 
shop assistant mentions that they have been very  
popular ever since they came out. The assistant 
then hints that the One Wish Willow is real by  
saying he shouldn't come back and complain if 
it works. It's incredibly uncomfortable though  
as he tries to find out the truth. He jokes about 
the wish ruining people's lives and she says or  
they wish they were dead or do die, which are all 
things that happen later. It's also just a really  
weird demeanor with the shop assistant that 
makes it kind of feel like a sketch. The movie  
is also deeply unsettling in the way it's shot as 
every actor is centered, leaving so much space at  
the top, left, and right. Cinematographer Taylor 
Clemens was actually inspired by the work of David  
Fincher, particularly Seven. And lots of this 
movie looks murky and grim like the director's  
work. One thing I also noticed as well is that 
The Willow cost $6.99, but the assistant says  
$7. Might be a goof. Uh, or it could be because 
not everything is exactly as it seems. And there  
will be a hidden cost. That is subtext. Am I 
reaching? Let me know below. But we then cut  
to Barker's pub for trivia night, which is 
of course named after the director himself.  
The trivia host is played by Curry's father, who 
also wrote the weird story that Nikki reads out  
later on. He's actually becoming a screenwriter 
himself and working on something with his son,  
so expect to see more of him at the table. I also 
love how Be's isolation is on display as he's  
centered while his friends sit around him. He's 
in the middle with Nikki and Ian on either side,  
foreshadowing how he'll be caught in the middle 
of their situationship. The condiment bottles also  
give us a hint at the secret. Red can mean power, 
love, or passion. All of which connect Bear and  
Nikki. The yellow of the mustard bottle in front 
of Ian can mean betrayal, and yellow is of course  
um a color often associated with being a coward. 
Sarah has also liked Bear in Plain Sight,  
but is hidden by Ian. We also get the hint at 
Sarah having beef with Nikki as we learn Nikki's  
been slacking and not tuning the guitars or doing 
her other tasks at work so she can go and write  
her novel. Meanwhile, Sarah's dad owns the store 
and keeps moaning about them to her. Sarah likes  
Bear though, who loves Nikki, who's banging Ian 
on the down low, so it's a messy love square and  
one that leads to them all ending up miserable 
and dead mostly. Now, we get to Ian who can tell  
Bear is going to confess his love, but Nikki 
notices the guy's mouthing things. here that  
we finally see Nikki played by Indie Navarette who 
absolutely steals the show. You may recognize her  
from 13 Reasons Why or Superman and Lois. 
And yeah, she's the real breakout star of  
the movie. She's very much meant to be the cute 
girl next door, which is how Barker wrote her,  
but never auditioned for her and played her more 
like a cool girl. Like if Zoe Desheld's character  
in 500 days of summer, wore a leather jacket or 
something. Bear then asks for a pinña colada.
I don't think it's a gay drink. Nikki roasts 
him by saying she likes a man in touch with  
his feminine side. And I like how even the Borman 
was smiling. What is interesting though is that  
later on at the party, Bear actually has a beer, 
showing that he's morphing into what he thinks he  
should be for her. He does this, he says, because 
he doesn't like the taste of alcohol, but this  
evolution shows that he's trying to become that 
person. He also says that he's been watching TV  
all day, but we know he's been scrolling through 
his Instagram and crying over his cat. The fact he  
can't even tell Nikki about the cat though shows 
he's putting on an act in order to seem cool cuz  
yeah, she might potentially be put off by the 
baggage and he'd rather appear as the man that  
he thinks that she wants. She then says, "Open 
babe to the bar man." Uh with the babe seemingly  
flustering him. Babe is just one of those terms um 
that you know you can call whoever you want. You  
just say it as being a friend. Um and I do think 
that because she said it to him before and is now  
saying it to the bowman, he starts secondguessing 
things. but he is about to tell her what he got  
for her, only to be interrupted again, this 
time by Ian. We then get a Czechov's gun,  
or more specifically um Czechov's description of 
where the gun is as he says that Sarah's dad keeps  
a gun in the breakroom safe. So yeah, that's how 
it comes around at the end. Sarah then appears  
and they all do their shots except for Bear who 
slightly leaves his at the bar and this is because  
he doesn't like alcohol. Ian and Nikki then run 
off while Sarah asks why they toast it to Sandy.  
He actually confides in the character who offers 
him comfort and she likes him without him putting  
on an act, but he's just too obsessed with Nikki. 
It's pretty different to Nikki's reaction later  
on in the car as well, which when he tells her, I 
don't know, it seems a bit blaszeise. As they go  
back to their table, we also see Nikki take Ian's 
hat, which is just another hint that there's more  
there. When they leave, it's nowhere to be seen, 
though, showing how Ian has no issue with leaving  
things close to him behind. He then says that he 
wants to go to karaoke, but Nikki wants to go to  
bed and begs Ian to take her home. Highlights how 
she'll always go to him first and how they want  
different things and ultimately aren't on the 
same page. Bear then says he'll take her home  
instead. And we watch as Nikki goes and gives 
$20 to a homeless person. Well, I say she gives  
$20. She takes it from Sarah and then gives it 
away. So, it's not as altruistic as you think.  
But Bear is blinded by love and he loves her for 
her selflessness. But again, it's really Sarah's  
and he's kind of missing the thing that's right 
in front of him. As they head out, Ian then says,  
"Get your girl home safe." And Nikki says, "Get 
your girl home safe." Ew, don't say it like that.  
And I thought the worst thing she could say is, 
"No." But he's finally alone with her and she says  
to call when the loss of his cat finally hits. She 
makes a weird face though, like she's annoyed at  
what she said. Nikki then says she's not happy 
at the store, but he says it's just a job. But  
bear though, this is the place he gets to be with 
Nikki, so it doesn't matter if he hates the actual  
work. It shows how different they are, though, and 
highlights she won't put up with things to be with  
him. To write her story, she needs to feel loved 
to bring it to life, and she's clearly become  
jaded by things with Ian. This is where they 
also talk about love versus romance. And the  
script actually had a longer monologue here that 
explained the meaning of the movie. Nikki says,  
"I don't think romance is real. I think love is 
real, but not romance. Makes life feel magical."  
Then your parents split or they're so miserable 
you wish they would. People start telling you  
love fades, it's a mirage. They're wrong. Romance 
fades. Love is a different thing. And that's what  
I want to write. The good, the bad, the ugly. Real 
[ __ ] And shouts Jeff Barker for that. Nikki then  
says that Be's the only person she can talk to 
about this stuff as he's not a complete brick  
wall. This is why I feel her life changes due to 
Ian as he's just a dude bro who she probably had  
nothing in common with. This is why I feel 
as well that she didn't in fact like Bear,  
especially as she tries to pro him to find out 
if he likes Sarah. He says that he likes her as  
a friend and Nikki says that when she has a crush 
on a guy, nobody knows, which exactly why no one  
knew she was banging Ian. However, I feel like 
this is her hinting that just because she doesn't  
make it obvious, she does actually like Bear. Do 
you like me? What? Cuz if you do, now's the time  
to tell me. She wants him to step up though and 
confess that he does and even gives him the chance  
to. Now, look, I know there's people who disagree 
and uh say that she's asking so she can flat out  
reject him, but I don't know. Um doing it the day 
the cat died would be a bit messed up to me. So,  
my interpretation is that she's asking him 
because it's like giving him the chance there  
and then. But his failure to do so is ultimately 
what costs him. Had he actually admitted it,  
the pair would have potentially got together, 
which I think makes the fact that he has to  
wish for it even more pathetic. Ian even says in 
the diner he needs to do it at the right time, but  
he misses the chance here and then does something 
evil. If he actually had a spine, he could have  
had what he wanted there and then. Uh, so yeah, 
that's how I read it. But I know there's a lot  
of people that think the opposite. I can totally 
see why as well from your point of view. But look,  
just look at her face when he says they're good 
friends. Good. Good night. The movie has some  
fantastic use of music here as well as he tells a 
nice story about how she helped him out in class.  
It plays and slowly builds up, but cuts sharply 
when she says it was no big deal. For Bear,  
though, it's like one of his core memories. Uh, 
but to Nikki, it's just another Tuesday. Throwing  
a Hail Mary, he then calls her Freaky Nikki, 
and she's shocked that he would say something so  
cruel. Expect that Ian has been talking about Be 
liking her as well, and calling her Freaky Nikki  
is something she recognized as Ian's idea. He then 
retreats into using the one wish willow which was  
actually inspired by a pen that Bock used to play 
with as a kid and was apparently made from a dried  
cactus. The willow tree is also commonly connected 
to folklore and fairy tales. And you'll find the  
branches of it are used in a lot of stuff dealing 
with witches. Hell, even weapons and the spell  
that allowed the witch to control people made from 
a tree that you then had to snap to activate. The  
music then cuts as it breaks and she comes to the 
window to ask what he had for her. We see that  
something's off with her as well as she says she 
just lost her cat, showing that she's kind of a  
jumble. I do even wonder as well if she's merging 
with Bear's feelings and this is why she she ends  
up bringing the cat up. She then asks if he wants 
to come in and he's freaked out as she's acting so  
weird. Now, I feel like the entity at this point 
has a loose grip on Nikki and we can see it hasn't  
fully taken over. Nikki is still able to break 
through and even just stalled at first that she's  
kind of acting weird. She even laughs at first and 
thinks it's a bit weird and funny, but quickly the  
horror becomes clear. This is something that gets 
expanded upon later on as she pretty much becomes  
a backseat passenger in her own brain much like 
Get Out. The movie is a whole though also reminds  
me a lot of Hereditary, which is also a film about 
possession. We also have Nikki hiding in plain  
sight in Bear's room, much like the grandmother 
in that. As well as that, Bear goes along with  
what's happening on autopilot similar to Peter 
and Hereditary. Barker also used the dry heap  
crying from Ari assa's other movie Midsar and 
breakdown on the channel now with the wish now  
working though Nikki is a lot different and India 
actually took a lot of inspiration from Mia Gotham  
the X trilogy I personally feel that she's the 
most like Pearl um especially in those moments  
where she absolutely loses it as she goes to the 
driver's side her head's cut out the frame which  
makes things far more unsettling so far we've 
had so much headroom as mentioned earlier um so  
we kind of having this missing is a bit unnerving. 
We also expect some major jump scare, but she just  
crouches down smiling, which is even freakier. She 
kind of forces herself into the car, and the most  
creepy thing about this is how she's acting 
nice, too nice almost. Bear is clearly taken  
back and clearly creeped out, even though this was 
apparently what he wanted. Think deep down though,  
he knows he wanted something genuine rather than 
this extreme facade that clearly isn't real. She's  
gone from a self- assured layered person to a 
pastiche of every adorable girl in a romcom.  
Bear refuses to go in or take her to his house 
as well, which is when the entity uses emotional  
manipulation. It invents a story about her dad 
dying of cancer because it knows Bear won't leave  
her in this state. If you ever seen uh like 5,000 
episodes of catfish like I have, then you'll know  
the fakers will often use a cancer diagnosis to 
manipulate the person that cares about them. This  
basically keeps them on the hook and stops them 
asking question as yeah, what kind of person would  
leave someone in that state? But the entity acts 
like a codependent parasite trying to isolate Bear  
by using any means necessary. Sadly, because Be's 
desperate to be with her as well, he also doesn't  
question the story. Arriving at the house, we can 
see it's a proper grandma's place with even Nikki  
being like a bit disappointed. However, the entity 
takes over, takes a deep breath, and then walks  
around the house saying that it's nice. He then 
gives her the bed and leaves her alone, but the  
music builds up again when we think there's going 
to be a romantic moment as she asks her to sleep  
in bed with her. She then takes off her top as he 
looks away and seems very very awkward. It also  
makes the juxosition between that and the poster 
that says player very very ironic. We then hear  
the song televisions by current Joyce. She starts 
to make a move on him which is when all of a  
sudden she snaps out and the real Nikki takes over 
completely shocked at what's happening. It shows  
how she doesn't want to go through with this, but 
Bear's forcing her along. Clearly, she should be  
stopping the whole thing at this moment and trying 
to work back breaking the wish, but Bear is just  
downplaying how bad it is. Nikki even tries to 
reassure Bear that it wasn't her who initiated  
it and that this situation wasn't his fault. 
She's almost apologizing for putting him in this  
situation even though she's really the victim, 
which if you've looked into a lot of cases on  
stuff, you'll see the victims often end up doing 
that. The entity then takes control and says she's  
sorry, blaming the outburst on a panic attack. She 
then turns on the waterworks to try and gain some  
sympathy, but Bear is clearly shook and he decides 
to sleep on the floor. Her sock even hangs out the  
bottom over his head, kind of showing how she's 
trying to be close to him. But he goes to look up  
the one wish Willow and we see he's using a Google 
knockoff named probe. Like most internet searches,  
Reddit comes up as well and this movie's version 
is threaded. There's also a website asking if  
the one wish Willow is a Mandela effect and this 
might be why bears never heard of it. The website  
also calls it a collectible sensation. That's 
something the shop assistant mentioned as well as  
some collectors just keep it sealed. Like a real 
Reddit thread, it's also filled with contradictory  
answers and one username is called Bernsteeen 
Barefax. This is of course a well-known Mandela  
effect case in which people debate the spelling. 
Also wondered if that's why he was called Bear,  
but I think it's likely because of the bear 
in the woods thing. But let me know below if  
you disagree. You also see someone mentioned that 
it's a prank as they call the guy on the phone and  
he seemed a bit weird. And this might be a reach, 
but with that being Barker, the prank may also be  
a reference to Barker's previous movie and cereal 
on YouTube that focuses on YouTube pranksters. And  
yeah, with it being Barker on the phone as well, 
that's just where my mind went. He then closes the  
laptop, goes back to Nikki, and seemingly shrugs 
off the idea that the wish is real. Bear then  
shares his bed with her and wakes up to find that 
she's made a memorial for his cat. to the entity.  
Uh, this is just completely normal as it has no 
concept of what's right and wrong. The idea of  
what love is is completely blurred in its mind 
and she's unable to understand why a shrine's  
inappropriate for something that you love. The 
shrine is of course related to worship as well  
and it further plays in the obsessive worship that 
she has for Bear. As he walks to the memorial,  
you can also see her weird fast movements that she 
does later on. She's just acting unnatural though  
and it further highlights that something isn't 
quite right here. The pair then arrive at work  
together and though she seems normal, things start 
to go strange. But upon going in, she chastises  
the boss for using the word Karen in a derogatory 
manner. Kuba then spots Bear and is quite hyped,  
thinking his mate got his end away. The framing is 
perfect in the back room though, and as the lads  
chat, Nikki slowly goes behind the counter and 
turns her head towards the door. I love how in  
between asking if he slept over as well, he also 
reminds him to clock in. But Nikki has a face like  
thunder until Bear looks at her and she does a 
slow smile which freaks out Ian. Ian also asks if  
he's afraid of what Sarah is going to do, hinting 
that Ian knows that Sarah's into Bear. Also makes  
me wonder why he didn't just nudge his pal towards 
someone who's actually into him. H but it's clear  
that he doesn't really care about women's 
feelings. Bear then says that Nikki's actually  
going through something, but doesn't bring up the 
wish and instead goes with the fact that her dad  
has cancer. Well, not the fact, but you know what 
I mean. Ian is really surprised by this though,  
and on a second watch, we immediately know why. 
He's a lot closer to Nikki than Bear thinks,  
and the fact she's never brought it up just seems 
a bit weird. Even foreshadows the concern everyone  
has that Be's taking advantage of Nikki later on 
as he says it would be [ __ ] up if Bear slept  
with her. But yeah, he's the one taking advantage 
of her, but more on that in just a bit. Also love  
how though the background's blurry, you can 
see that Nikki's staring at him the whole time.  
Ian then theorizes she might be on Molly again 
and he then goes to talk to her. Imagine that  
he's going there to get the truth as she probably 
never acted like this with him. It then cuts to  
the end of the shift and Bear says he can't 
take Nikki home and she just goes with Ian.  
Seems very strange on the surface though, but does 
foreshadow the reveal that Ian has been a sneaky  
link for her for 2 years. They then talk on the 
phone and we see Bear looking at the side effects  
of Molly that we mentioned before. This is through 
a chat GP knockoff called Genie LM, which is funny  
considering genies are known for granting wishes. 
If you look to the left as well, his history is  
quite interesting as well. We can see that he's 
been looking up nursing homes as well as Oxy.  
Part of me even wonders if he actually hastened 
his grandmother's death using Oxy in the past  
week. He's also asked how to know if you've been 
friend-zoned, how to flirt, how to impress a girl,  
and how to woo a girl. He also looked up how to 
play basket case on the mima h which is a fitting  
song for the movie as it's all about anxiety. We 
then see her walk past the window. She's turned up  
looking all nice and says she shouldn't have taken 
something. She also keeps mentioning how he didn't  
take advantage of her which is probably something 
that Ian asked her a few times when he took  
her home. It's also trying to make him lose his 
feelings of guilt and therefore he'll be less torn  
about their relationship. We then get confirmation 
that Nikki knew Bell liked him, which might have  
even been confirmed to her by Ian trying to mess 
things up. She also says that she started feeling  
things for him around Christmas, which might be 
true, but either way, it's a form of manipulation.  
We then get a perfect romance movie montage where 
they have breakfast together, then kiss at work,  
and it looks like everything that Bears ever 
wanted has all come true. It's classic uh I don't  
know, your classic romcom montage. It's like the 
honeymoon period of a relationship though before  
the lust fades and you either make or break for 
the pair. We can see as the latter happens because  
Bear can't deal with all of Nikki's obsession 
and complexities. Ian also looks angry at the  
pair kissing which you could chalk down to him 
being jealous, especially watching it a second  
time. It's also the read that he's concerned as 
maybe Nikki told him she didn't like Bear and  
he's wondering if something is going on with her, 
which is probably made worse by her breakdowns. We  
then see them looking at a post which appears to 
be of them saying, "I want to wear your skin as  
a sweater." Now, I can't tell if this is just 
a meme account or something that she posted,  
but it's something that seems very sweet on the 
surface, but is pretty messed up. Nikki Lena also  
wears some of Sarah's skin, which this moment 
helps to foreshadow. It's clearly AI as well,  
um, which is obviously a copy of a human's 
work, um, made by something that isn't human,  
uh, which is in a way much like Wish Nikki. shows 
starts wearing a headband from this point onwards  
just like the waitress at the start to bear though 
she's transformed into someone who only exists for  
him which is very sad to see and Sarah even looks 
weirded out also like how she keeps looking at  
him as they watch TV and he moves her head back 
to face forward this is a very subtle hint that  
her obsessions getting in the way of things for 
him and he isn't quite ready to deal with someone  
that's that fixated on him cut to the restaurant 
where he then tells a story from high school this  
is some great writing as well as after bear 
dropped her at home. She didn't seem to hold  
much reverence for their time in school. Here 
though, she thinks it's hilarious. As mentioned  
earlier as well, the couple are in the same 
seats as Bear and the waitress at the diner,  
and we see what happens when Bear tries to break 
the illusion. She asks him what he wants to do,  
and he says he's been told he's a private person. 
Interestingly, she doesn't remember calling him a  
closed book, which is something that she referred 
to him in the car as. It's another confirmation  
that they're separate entities and that Wish Nikki 
is closed off from the true one's feelings. then  
says he wants to be a food critic as a joke, which 
is something that gets played upon later when she  
puts his cat in his pack lunch clutch. He then 
gets a phone call from Ian, who then explains  
that Nikki's dad isn't ill. Again, the framing 
here is so good as well, as you can see Nikki  
the whole time as Bear walks closer to the camera. 
Kind of just builds off that amazing scene in the  
shot before and just an evolution of how she's 
getting even closer. While on the phone, Bear is  
also in front of a tree carving, which is there to 
reference the Willow of the One Wish Willow. says  
that Nikki tells Sarah she friend-zoned Bear and 
everyone has questions. Returning to the table,  
she then gives him a tiger's eye that's been 
passed down through her family. It's very  
interesting as well as Bear originally went to 
replace her necklace before coming across the one  
with Willow and said Nikki would hate that. So, 
this is just another out of character moment for  
her which he should pick up. Plus, there's like a 
big deal that she's giving him this special thing  
and yeah, this is someone that she's only been 
dating for a short while. He then says that it  
brings confidence and willpower and it's clearly 
the entity giving something of Nikki's away that  
might empower her to come back. He then realizes 
that the wish is real after he asks her if she  
loves him more than anyone in the world. This goes 
well, but when he touches upon her dad's cancer,  
she becomes enraged and we get that instant 
viral moment. Now, according to Ivy Trivia,  
this no is actually the real Nikki saying no 
in that her dad's not dying of cancer. However,  
the entity then takes over, makes it weird, and 
things spiral out of control. Anything that could  
break the illusion, sends her off the deep end, 
and it just shuts everything else down. Eventually  
though, he just agrees that it doesn't matter, 
and we cut back to Bear going bear back. But it's  
[ __ ] harrowing. Uh, as she's just completely 
vacant, and it's an out-of- body experience,  
much like the real Nikki's going through. 
It's truly one of the most insidious parts  
of the movie, though. Um, and yeah, just very, 
very messed up that we can't show on YouTube.  
And you know why you cheeky booger. On her wrist 
though, we can also see the eye of Horus tattoo  
which is supposed to represent protection from 
evil. However, that evil now exists within her  
and no matter what she does, she's not getting rid 
of it. Be then awakens to find her in the corner  
with a face messed up like we touched upon before. 
He then tries to go back to sleep only for her to  
run about the room holding a plant pot in front 
of her face. This is to hide her monstrous look  
when the mask starts to slip and to keep Bear 
locked into the wish. As he tries to slink off,  
she then screams, "Stay!" Apparently, Never had 
to learn how to scream for this as she didn't  
actually have a higher vocal register. Bear then 
wakes up and finds that she's given him a haircut,  
which yeah, to be fair, your trim is scuffed. 
But this is her further exerting control,  
and the obsession is making her try and inflict 
things upon him. Bear can't really see the irony,  
though, and is actually annoyed that she's doing 
things to his body. and mate, what do you think  
you're doing? Let's not do that. During this, he 
also walks in to see her sitting there reading a  
book. Uh, but you might notice that the book's 
upside down. So, again, it's all just an act. I  
love the lingering shot of her and the characters 
throughout the movie, though. And if you've seen  
his sketches, then you'll know it's something he 
does a lot, which really works in both comedy and  
horror. He then says she had a bad dream and 
just goes blank, seemingly remembering it.  
reminds me a lot of Alien after Kane got the 
face of her off and is clearly her repressing  
something trying to appease him. She then does 
a very creepy smile which is reminiscent of the  
end of Pearl. In fact, that movie's credits show 
Mia Goth holding a facial expression while this  
movie ends with a now unpossessed Nikki crying 
with both continuing throughout the credits. The  
pair then kiss and he's disarmed once more giving 
into his desire questions. He's desperate to make  
this work and hilariously he cuts her off as she 
says she loves him so so so much. like she said at  
the restaurant, like it was cute when he wanted 
to get his underway. Uh but now the guy is just  
bored with it. He's built up this ideal Nikki in 
his head and just wants this cute romantic life.  
Instead though, he's got an obsessed crazy 
girlfriend who won't let go. He's struggling  
to deal with her warts and all. And again, be 
careful what you wish for. We then get the moment  
where Bear sees that she's taped the front door 
shut. And I love that we don't see it at first,  
only Bear's reaction. Barker explained that the 
art department created a massive single sheet  
made of tape and only a few parts were actually 
taped the walls so it could be removed in one big  
piece. Nikki just wants him to stay home the whole 
day though and she even suggests swinging by work.  
She's kind of become um a bit like a pet or a cat. 
She's at home waiting for him to return though and  
doesn't really have anything else to occupy her. 
He leaves her alone just standing there smiling  
which is how he finds her when he comes home. It's 
a deeply uncomfortable lingering shot as we expect  
her to scuttle off, but see how her life's nothing 
without Bear. He just stands there with her smile  
frozen in place, symbolizing the fake image that 
Nikki's having to portray. She even wets herself  
and doesn't want to move as Bear is the only 
thing she wants. Similar to how like um couples  
get together and sometimes isolate themselves and 
are just nothing without their partners. This then  
causes friction amongst your friends. And that's 
what happens here as Bear doesn't get invited.  
the party as he's now a part package with Nikki at 
work. We watch as he opens up his lunch box which  
I think might be his childhood one as there's a 
lucha libre on the front. He then finds a Polaroid  
which she took in secret but it gets even weirder 
in a moment. The second photo that she took of him  
asleep and this is clearly a cry for help as we 
can see that she's written this is not her. This  
is basically spelling out to him that they'll like 
this because of the wish and nothing to do with  
her own free will. as he starts to be creeped out. 
We then hear Sarah say how people are entitled  
and not willing to wait. Now though this is about 
the shop itself and its customers, it's a sneaky  
reference to how Bear took a shortcut and skip 
past basically winning Nikki over the oldfashioned  
way. It's also funny how he's sitting there 
eating his lunch while she's stuck making boxes,  
calling back to how he just used the waitress at 
the start. Sarah then lets slip that Ian's having  
a party and he confronts her over what she said to 
Ian. The secret that Nikki was hooking up with Ian  
for two years almost gets revealed here, but she's 
interrupted by her father. Sadly, she doesn't get  
into another art school and her dad just coldy 
tells her to get back to work. Interestingly,  
Bear used his one wish for something selfish when 
he could have used it on his friend so she could  
go and realize her dreams. This is something 
that's also mirrored in Ian and though he could  
wish to free Nikki, he just wishes for money for 
himself. But Sarah right now is just completely  
down in the dumps and she rests her head on bears. 
But she clocks that there's something up with his  
lunch. Gets revealed that his sandwich is a sand 
sandy witch h which is the name of the cat. Could  
have done that joke a lot better. There is a good 
joke in there somewhere. Sandwich and sandy witch.  
H but the revolution makes him puke in the bin. 
He then just says it's an inside joke which is  
him further choosing to ignore the truth rather 
than living in the reality. We then get a cut to  
the night after the shift which is completely 
opposite to how things were before. It's just  
bare and he's all alone playing in in the feeling 
of isolation even though he has someone besided  
by him. But unfortunately he can't tell anyone. 
He has to keep it secret and now it's left him  
even more alone than before. Ian then asks for a 
lift home and says he got an Uber to work as his  
car had an engine light. However, I feel this is 
false as I think he wanted to get a chance to talk  
to Bear. Ian knew his friend would give him a lift 
home and thus he could have a mini intervention.  
Bear is adamant though that Nikki is fine after 
saying she was having a breakdown. Bear is then  
told it looks like he's taking advantage of 
the situation, which yeah, it kind of does.  
This is also why he didn't invite him over and he 
basically wanted to test his friend by saying it  
would just be a boy's night. But yeah, Sarah has 
been invited cuz she's the one who brought it up.  
He then attempts to rehearse what he's going to 
say to Nikki about cooking the cat and how she  
can't come to the boys night. Just before he gets 
out of the car though, the one wish Willow tune  
plays and he decides to call the customer service 
line. As mentioned earlier, the voice is actually  
Curry Baker. And I love how the guy on the phone 
just sounds like he's just woken up and is very  
nonchalant. And I've also been there during a call 
center night shift. And we then get these lines,  
you'd like to cancel your wish? No. No. No. No. 
Now I feel like there he was giving him an out and  
that that was basically his one chance to cancel 
the wish because why even offer that as an option?  
The fact he says no though means that he can't and 
thus the option no longer exists. You were just  
making it sound like I could put in a request. 
Some Wonder Woman 1984 I renounce my wish [ __ ]  
It's a hilarious exchange though. But the guy says 
that just because he chose her for her, it doesn't  
make it any less real. He also says if Bear dies, 
the wish will go away. And it's explained that  
he has a moral obligation to be there for her, 
which further adds to the guilt. But he's made  
his bed. We then get confirmation that the person 
Bear's been with isn't technically Nikki as she's  
currently being get outed. The guy on the phone 
then asks if he wants to talk to her and we just  
hear her screaming in agony. You want to talk to 
her? Who is that? Nikki. It's one of the scariest  
parts of the movie as I just imagine what she 
feels like being paralyzed in her own body but  
clearly watching everything happening in front 
of her. It also reminds me of that viral video  
from a couple years ago where it said um said a 
Siberian team had basically drilled deep into the  
earth's core and upon putting down a microphone 
they apparently heard people screaming in hell
and that has stuck with me for a long long time. 
His day gets even worse though when he realizes  
that Wish Nikki's been waiting in the living room. 
He really should section her or something right  
now as she's messed herself up and clearly needs 
full-time care. She also just brushes off being  
upset over his cat like it's nothing. However, 
she gets passive aggressive when he brings up  
the boy's night and then screams when he tries to 
get her not to come. Nikki then says that Sarah's  
going and Bear caves into just letting her come 
with him. Ian's framed just like back at the music  
store and they play drinking Jenga. Now, a bit of 
a sad story here, but unfortunately uh this house  
actually burned down after filming due to the 
recent LA fires. So, yeah, very sad. But back  
to the movie and we watch as one of the dudes and 
swaps places with Bear. Now, I did wonder if this  
was all a plan to separate the pair, as everyone 
probably knows from Ian about how close they are.  
We also don't see what her forfeit is, but seems 
like she's just got out having to drink by maybe  
revealing something embarrassing. I expect the 
entity didn't want to drink as she might become  
intoxicated and then lose control, similar to when 
she's sleeping later on. Now, we have said that  
we think Nikki did like Bear, but there have 
been some great theories about this scene. As  
mentioned earlier, this poem was written by Curry 
Barker's father, and it's playing upon Hansel and  
Gredle. In it, the pair have grown up and now 
find themselves in an incestuous relationship.  
Previously, you know, the pair would just brother 
and sister, which is something that could be seen  
as like the friendship between Nikki and Bear. In 
the poem, Hanzel isn't into it, though, and knows  
that it's wrong. But Gretle says how she'd flail 
her arms if he refused. It's a lot like how Nikki  
wasn't really into Bear and that she was then 
forced into it. So yeah, there are two reads to  
this as Nikki apparently said she sees Belle like 
a little brother, but despite that, he's forced  
her to love her and thus she feels wrong. There's 
also the read though that this is Entity Nikki  
writing and how she will force Bear to be with 
her if he refuses. Bear at this point is the one  
who knows things are wrong and Nikki will cause a 
scene if he tries to step away. It's beyond creepy  
though, but yeah, Indie is absolutely captivating 
doing the voices and yeah, she just performs this  
excellently. The story also mentions that love 
is the only kind of branch you willow tree can  
conjure. So I do think this is more likely entity 
Nikki. Bear then looks guilty as the whole party's  
totally silent and she says it's a new book she's 
working on. The fact that it's new makes it seem  
more likely that it's Entity Nikki and how it 
subverted the work she's done. Especially as right  
after this she asks him to kill her. It's Bear's 
turn next though and he gets the forfeit due to  
the guy swapping places with him. However, they 
did say that it was his turn before he said it  
was Bears. And had he picked this, then he would 
have had to have kissed Nikki as she's on his  
left. I do wonder as well what might have ended 
up happening of this. And yeah, there's definitely  
some alternative version out there where we see 
this scene playing out differently. But for now,  
Bear has to kiss the person to his left, which 
turns out to be Sarah. Nikki, of course, will  
never let that happen and stands up frowning, 
which basically ruins the party, but looks  
excellent in a meme on the internet. also feel 
just so sorry for Nikki though as she loves the  
guy who's even entertaining kissing someone else. 
She sends subservient to Bear and just kneels  
pursing out her lips. She's now also removing his 
choice too and Bear clearly doesn't like it. So,  
hey, maybe you should think about that more, mate. 
She then stands up and says, "Everyone will die."  
Having never felt the love they do. She then says 
she's joking. H but then also says, "Actually,  
I'm not." And this freaks everyone out, especially 
when the real Nikki manages to break through.
She then smashes her head like the like 
button. And yeah, the expressions here  
are so funny. And even when they drive to 
the hospital, uh, she nurses up to him,  
completely ignoring what just happened, which 
he kind of is as well. Even at the hospital,  
Bear argues as we just see her get out 
and dance around. Back home, he's silent,  
and she just wants to stand outside. He then asks 
why she did what she did, but she just mentions  
how Sarah likes him. We then see how he just 
thinks of her as an object again, as he says just  
how beautiful she was. It's not how smart and how 
kind of a person she was, just how hot she was,  
and now she's damaged her face. He hasn't even put 
bandages on her, and she still has open cuts, and  
he's more down in the dumps for himself than he is 
about her. He then says things were so good and is  
more annoyed at her than he is at himself. He then 
asks if she even likes him and if she's happy and  
she says, "I'm your freaky Nikki." This of course 
confirms she's just this fake idealized version  
of her as it's something she'd never actually 
call herself. He then says she can be anything,  
but what Bear wants is for the real Nikki to like 
him. He's realized that the fake thing isn't worth  
it at all and that if you know something's fake, 
it doesn't mean anything. Now, there is a survey  
um that we've mentioned before when talking about 
stuff like the Matrix and the idea of an idealized  
world. In it, this basically gave people a choice 
of whether they'd rather live in the real world  
with all its ups and downs or live in a simulation 
where everything was perfect. Ultimately, people  
chose reality, and it's something that I think 
happened with Bear. She then does a completely  
unhinged backward walk and according to the script 
says, "Rail me, Bear. I'm normal." The entity is  
just in self-preservation mode, though, and this 
starts to spiral fast, which leads into the end  
of the movie. Bear then offers to let her have the 
bed, but she threatens to take her own life. It's  
using that as a way to manipulate him. And another 
thing that I've also seen on Catfish. However,  
as the voice on the phone said, he has a moral 
obligation to stay with her. She then gives  
a very poetic way of describing her death and 
says she'll feel cold and that her fingers will  
feel like sand and this will just wash over her 
body. think describing it in such detail as well  
in that it's almost comforting. It's what makes 
Bear unafraid at the end. There's just nothing.
Or you could stay. Sarah then texts Bear. She 
has something important to tell him. And uh yeah,  
I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to meet uh 
the guy with a psycho girlfriend at 3:00 a.m. in  
a car park. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's 
see if it pays off for him. But as he gets up,  
Nikki pleads for him to kill her, and it's 
something he also refuses to acknowledge.  
Someone pleading for death must be in complete 
agony, and it shows how bad things are for her,  
but he simply doesn't care. He then says, "What 
would be so bad about being with him?" And she  
says she's never been with him. Again, this 
highlights that there's definitely two entities  
as wish Nikki is a completely different person. 
It also cementss that Bear has never been with  
the actual Nikki he wanted and instead has been 
simply with this mannequin who's puppeted by  
something evil. At this point, I think he fully 
becomes the villain of the movie and walks away  
despite Nikki's pleading. He realizes just how 
tragic this situation is, but ignores it to go and  
talk to another girl. Bear then tells Sarah that 
Nikki's acting weird because her father's dying,  
even though he knows it's a lie. He's using 
Nikki's manipulation to manipulate Sarah  
because he knows she won't look further into it 
if she hears this. Very interesting moment here  
as well as Sarah says Nikki needs therapy and 
it's unfair that she's taking advantage of him.  
It's vastly different from Ian who insinuates 
that he's the one taking advantage of her. He's  
been secretly sleeping with Nikki while Sarah 
likes Bear. So, they of course all have very  
different perspectives. It also shows that Ian 
was lying by saying that others think Bear's  
the one taking advantage. And it does indicate 
that he's secretly jealous despite coaching him  
on how to date her. Sarah has also got her last 
letter saying it's her last chance. And this is  
interesting wording as this is her last chance 
to be with Bear and sort of her last moment on  
Earth. He then says he has sleeping pills which 
apparently help out. Um and this did make me  
wonder if he somehow slipped them to Nikki. 
She didn't sleep earlier and would just stood  
in the corner. So I think the sleeping pills 
were slipped to make her go down into bed. and  
it's another form of control. Sarah then breaks 
the news that Ian had a casual thing with Nikki,  
however, it wasn't romantic. She then hints that 
she likes him and says that she was to his left,  
which she is here to as well. And there were 
a few different takes of this scene that were  
filmed and Barker said to Polygon that there was 
one where Sarah admits that Nikki had feelings for  
him. He said it would have been heart-wrenching 
to discover that Nikki did like him in the end,  
which is really interesting, but I do prefer the 
debates around the movie and that things are just  
kept ambiguous. Barker explained in that interview 
that Ian liked Nikki as well, but not enough to  
date. Hence why he's pushing his best friend 
to confess his feelings. The moment is stopped  
though by Nikki, who arrives and smashes Sarah 
head into a brick. This might be a call back to  
Barker's previous film, Milk and Cereal, uh, where 
a brick's also used there, which I won't spoil,  
but I love the way that the horn kind of honks 
with every hit, and it's just such a gruesome  
death that takes the film to the next level. Niggy 
then says it's his fault, and she's so sorry,  
but it's what he wanted. She blames him and says 
he needs to help her and get rid of the body. Bear  
could then try and get out of this again and turn 
her in. Uh but you know, he feels guilty and she's  
just very passive about the whole thing. They 
even hide her body at her dad's music shop and  
then Bear heads home. He stops to open the letter 
which confirms that Sarah got her dream and was in  
fact accepted by the art school. His selfishness 
though has led to Sarah missing out on her life  
just as Nikki's now missing out on hers. I love 
the way the letters also covered in blood as well.  
And yeah, just a horrendous way for her life to 
be cut short. Bear then rushes back to the green  
man and tries to find the one wish Willows. This 
might be my favorite gag of the movie as the shop  
assistant pretends that they just don't exist. 
I think there's just probably been way too many  
complaints and yeah, when a guy comes covered in 
blood, propy just want to play dumb. Be then asks  
how they can sell this to people, but is told that 
the box is full of warnings and technically it's  
not them making the wishes. The person who buys 
is the one who decides, but Bear is desperate to  
reverse his wish. And we then get a cut where he 
sees himself in the mirror now fully in focus with  
him having to face up to what he's become. We 
also learn the assistants used his wish and I'd  
love to know what he wished for. Maybe more one 
wish willows. Barker has also explained that the  
item itself isn't cursed 100% as you can word your 
wish carefully, but Bear chose something that was  
obviously going to backfire. He then tells Bear 
that he could ask Nikki to use her wish as she'd  
do it for him, but as we see, she just wishes to 
get him to love her. Unable to break himself out,  
though, he then goes to Ian, and we learn Nikki's 
contacted him pretending to be Sarah. And we'll  
see how that works out in just a bit. Going to 
Ian, we learn that Nikki's pretending to be Sarah  
to get him to go around and remove him from Bear's 
life. People who seek to control their partner  
will often remove them from those around them, 
and it lets them not have anyone to support them.  
Bear then reveals the one wish Willow and gives 
it to Ian and tries to get him to counteract his  
wish. Selfishly though, he chooses a $1 billion 
uh rather than trying to help his friend. And  
ultimately, this is what leads to his death. And 
the cash falling from this guy was actually filmed  
practically using platforms, which is such a cool 
effect. Interestingly, that billion dollars should  
also survive after Ian's death. And Barker did 
confirm that objects remain. Now, considering  
a billion dollars in cash is uh you know, a a lot 
of cash. When he said this, I did think that the  
money would just come falling down and crush him, 
but I did feel like it might constantly follow him  
around, but ultimately he doesn't get to spend 
it. Arriving home, he returns and Nikki's made a  
weird shrine for him, and the lotion bottle is in 
the same place as earlier in the movie. She then  
walks behind him like long legs as he tries to 
get her to use the wish. It's then revealed that  
she's turned herself into Sarah, complete with 
a hair drawn on tattoos and cigarettes. She's  
even wearing Sarah's scalp complete with her 
hair. It's very, very Evil Deadesque. and then  
quickly turns into the exorcist when Nikki starts 
puking. Bear assures her that he can make it work,  
but we know there's only one way out of this and 
that is him dying. I also love how she's basically  
being feral at the door and then uh yeah, just 
completely calms down when she hears what she  
wants to hear. And when it comes to his death, he 
doesn't really want to do it. Um but he tries to  
psych himself up with his gun and rubs his chest 
while potting it at himself. Reminds me a lot of  
Charlie prepping himself to be stabbed in Scream 
4. and he then puts the gun in his mouth which  
is again I think an homage to milk and cereal. He 
also holds the tiger eye before this trying to be  
brave. He then takes the pills but can't really go 
through with it and backtracks by making himself  
puke. So even that he's not able to fully follow 
through on and he's only thinking of himself.  
But during this Nikki has made her wish, which 
you can tell from the little tune that plays.
He then goes out and I love how 
they both look bashfully at each  
other. And it reminds me a 
lot of the ending of this.
That is such a random reference from things I 
watched years ago. Uh, but I did enjoy it. The  
camera then pans down to the wish and Bear finally 
dies. Yay. On the TV, you can also see what seems  
to be a romantic movie, but it's actually a video 
of Bear sleeping. Just as she's about to end up  
shooting herself, unlike Bear, Nikki comes too 
and is left surrounded by the dead bodies of her  
friends. Now, Barkcat has confirmed that she'll 
likely go to jail and that this is pretty much  
an openandshot case. Bear also reflects his cat 
at the start, and he now lies dead on the floor,  
having taken the pills. It's also really a homage 
to Romeo and Juliet in the most twisted way in  
that Romeo thinks Juliet's dead only for him to 
take his own life at the crypt. It was all a ruse  
though and she'd taken a potion that basically 
faked her death. He then woke up, realized what  
he'd done and then also takes the poison herself 
by kissing him on the lips. From what I remember,  
haven't seen it in a while. But yeah, for the 
movie, this wasn't the original ending and Nikki  
was going to die as well at one point. Barker's 
father convinced him to stick with this one,  
though, and honestly, it's probably worse. Not 
only will she be stuck with the trauma she's  
gone through, but she also has to deal with 
the fallout. Barkers also stated that we'll  
learn about her fate in his next movie, Anything 
But Ghosts. During an audience Q&A, he said that  
the movie takes place in the same universe as 
Obsession, and we will see Nikki on the news.  
And apparently, she'll end up being charged with 
a triple homicide. That movie has rap shooting as  
well, though. Um, so yeah, can't wait to see what 
that scene is. And we do know it's going to star  
Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard. So yeah, 
Barker is moving up in the world. But based on  
what we know, um, that follows fake paranormal 
investigators who suddenly discover that ghosts  
are real. Oh, what? Ghosts are real. What? What is 
it, Derek? You all right? Merry little stick. But  
yeah, I can't wait to see that. Also, I kind of 
feel bad for Sarah's dad who's lost his daughter  
and all of his employees. But overall, I think the 
future's bright for Curry Barker and horror as a  
genre as it's been a decent year with Bone Temple, 
Ready on Two, and also Send Help and back rooms as  
well. It's also Evil Dead Burn coming, Craig's 
Resident Evil, and right now horror fans are  
eating good. Anyway, that wraps up the video and 
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