Competent but unable to provide effective thrills, this tale of obsession never quite grips.
Synopsis: A painter struggles with inner demons after being forced into a life of solitude when her husband leaves mysteriously.
Kicking off with a disorientating house tour courtesy of a sprawling camera, Dark Obsession is keen to establish from the outset that while things on the surface look like the ideal domestic setup, something more confusing and sinister lies beneath. The first person we see is Anne (Blaine Morris, also a co-writer on the film) a woman clearly ill at ease and struggling with her distant husband, Henry (Leonard Amoia).
After spending the day alone, consumed by her latest painting, tensions erupt between the pair once more, centred around a recent traumatic event. Rather than finding common ground, the pair are driven apart, seemingly permanently when Henry makes the decision to leave. Left alone, Anne’s isolation increases as she starts to unpick her situation.
One of the biggest issues with Dark Obsession is a lack of chemistry between Henry and Anne. Even with the film presenting them as being at odds from the start, there’s little spark to make you understand why they are a couple at all. This disconnected feeling works in some of the films’ more engaging set pieces in which Anne, in flashback, recalls moments from their relationship, but ultimately, with no moments to cement their previously happy (or at least on the surface) relationship, it feels too flat.
Much of the runtime is spent with Anne and Blaine Morris is certainly engaging enough as a performer for this, but it is a shame that the tone of this is too sombre to ever truly thrill or allow her to step out into a bigger, more effective performance. Keeping everything on one level with very few jolts or surprises, including characters that appear and then have no further bearing on the plot robs it of some much-needed energy.
When the pace does pick up, that also jars, bringing a very sudden horror skew that sits uncomfortably against the quieter moments. Throughout, this never raises the energy in a way you want it to. Much of this is down to the setup – if the early scene-setting struggles to deliver the thriller and horror elements have to do much more heavy lifting to balance that. It falls into some typical thriller tropes, too – just count the glasses of wine poured throughout the run time.
For the most part, this is competently shot and at times, there are hints of a more dynamic film with that sprawling camera work from the first scene, some nicely rendered dream sequences and a few overhead shots that serve to highlight Anne’s isolation. Elsewhere in the narrative, some interesting, micro-moments hint at Anne’s state of mind in ways that are more effective than extended scenes. These elements being pushed to the foreground would make for a much more interesting, engaging film.
As a thriller, this is never quite thrilling enough, but as a film with a solid central performance that delivers on some well-known tropes of the genre, it will likely find an audience amongst enthusiasts.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Dark Obsession is currently available on VOD.
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