Maybe you aren't really that nice
a review of "Obsession"
I’ve seen the nice guy everywhere, whether it be the barista who is obviously flirting with his co-workers, the guy in the back of the theater complaining about how his girlfriend dumped him, or the guy in my class rushing to get a homecoming date because he cheated on his girlfriend, but that totally wasn’t his fault because she didn’t go out with him one time. After all, she is studying for a final. All my life, I have heard these guys end their tangent by saying the phrase that always irks me, “the nice guy always finishes last.”
I know these guys don’t want to hear this, but unfortunately, it must be said the reason your relationships are failing is that maybe you really aren’t that nice.
That is where Curry Baker’s masterpiece “Obsession” comes into play.
After breaking the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
What Curry Baker understands so well about the story is that Bear, despite the number of defenders I have seen on the internet, is not the victim of the story. He may be going through events that cause him to display fear and distress, but at the end of the day, Bear brought this on himself. He took away Niki’s autonomy in exchange for his own selfish desires. At multiple points in the movie, he has the choice to reverse the wish; instead, he asks to alter it because he cannot stand Niki not loving him. He has what he wants; she is in love with him, but now she is too crazy. Is that not what he wanted? He stated, and I quote, “I wish for Niki Freeman to love me more than anyone in the world.”
Anyone in the world
Anyone in the world
You are asking for her to be obsessed with you. Even if you did not think the toy would work, you had too many opportunities to reverse the wish. Every time, though, you had to choose the selfish option. You feel entitled to her love in a way that is so self-serving that you will take the love that is far from authentic in place of admitting your feelings or finding the connection with someone who likes you back. Instead of making your life better, you ruin someone else’s.
“What is so bad about loving me?”
She never had a choice in the matter; it is what you wanted her to be. Once she was too much for you, you left and tried to cheat on her with one of her friends.
You got what you wanted, and that is still not enough.
I’ve heard the debate over whether or not Niki even liked Bear in the first place. In my head, it does not matter if she liked him or not. He still took away her autonomy; he forced her to love him. He is still the villain of the story.
She had a life.
She wanted to be a writer.
She was a person with humanity and complexity.
Bear was directionless.
He had no plans.
He is the villain.
Now Niki has to spend the rest of her life in jail atoning for his actions.
The nice guy never finishes last because of the girl; it’s really because he is not as nice as he thinks.