As Curry Barker makes his directorial breakout with Obsession, he’s discussing the movie’s layered themes of consent and communication.

The writer and director of the horror film recently discussed how the character of Nikki (Inde Naverrette) is depicted as both a villain and a victim after her best friend Bear (Michael Johnston) makes a wish that she would love him more than anything in the world.

“Well, we wanted it to feel grounded, and we wanted to really lean into, ‘OK, magic is real in this world, fine. Let’s accept that, let’s move on,’” explained Barker to DiscussingFilm. “And now, what you’re left with is a pretty tragic story about a man and a woman, and leaning into the realism of that was really important to me.”

While Naverrette flawlessly plays Nikki as being possessed by a sinister spirit who’s obsessed with Bear, her performance also includes tortured outbursts as the real Nikki sporadically breaks free from her subconscious to react in horror as her friend takes advantage of the situation.

Now playing in theaters, Obsession also stars Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter.

Following Barker’s 2024 directorial debut Milk & Serial, Obsession marks his breakout, ahead of a full slate that includes Blumhouse’s Anything but Ghosts and A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

After the R-word has recently been normalized on television, Dani Bowman is speaking out against the casual use of the ableist slur.

The Love on the Spectrum star recently reacted to Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie on Euphoria proclaiming “I’m not r—ed” when accused of sounding like a Democrat in a recent episode of Sam Levinson’s HBO drama, explaining the word should “never” be used and should “be banned.”

“We worked way too hard for inclusion and acceptance to normalize the R word again,” Bowman told TMZ. “As someone on the autism spectrum, it’s honestly painful to watch this language become socially acceptable again in pop culture. That word has been used for decades to bully, humiliate and dehumanize neurodiverse people, and bringing it back like it’s edgy or funny, it’s not progress. It’s a step backwards. We spent years trying to educate people that these words hurt real human beings, and representation means nothing if respect disappears the second people think it’s trendy to mock disability again.”

The DaniMation Entertainment founder also responded to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson using the word twice while joking about NBA’s Draymond Green during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.

Bowman said, “I respect Dwayne Johnson and everything he’s accomplished, but using the R word, even in a joke or skit, is disappointing. Words like that have a real impact because they’ve been used for years to mock and tear down people with disabilities and neurodiverse individuals. We’ve made a lot of progress when it comes to inclusion and awareness, so seeing that kind of language come back into mainstream entertainment feels like a step backwards. Comedy can still be funny without targeting a community that’s fought hard to be accepted.

“I feel totally disrespected. You disrespect one, and you disrespect us all,” added Bowman. “This word should be banned. I didn’t really like this R word at all, because it just dehumanizes people.”

Bowman has been outspoken about neurodivergent representation, previously calling our Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his comments about people on the autism spectrum.