bear deserved worse in 'obsession'
old mate could’ve wished to have an ounce of courage to say how he felt but no.
pov of the week
Right off the bat, if you have the chance, watch Obsession in cinemas. Last week, Abbey and I went to a Friday evening screening for Abbey’s first viewing and my second, and the theatre was packed. The movies are back, baby! The titters of the crowd were music to my ears as I got to enjoy this incredible movie without the debilitating fear and tension I had the first time, while still living vicariously through the audience, and Abbey ofc. Here’s a snippet of the discussion we’ve been having since that day, and likely for many days more.
(Spoiler alert!!!)
Abbey: I went in thinking I was gonna be spooky-scared by a possessed woman, and then I actually left with an even bigger hatred for men and their inability to let a woman decide what she wants to do with her body. It snowballed into a much larger conversation about body autonomy, consent, and pitting women against each other — something I haven’t seen in a movie, let alone a horror movie, facilitate in such a well-crafted way.
Lia: The exact wording of Bear’s wish demonstrates that so perfectly, which Curry (the director) has talked about in interviews. The fact that he asked her to love him, something that no one gets to decide for anyone else. It’s understandable to “want” that at times, but to keep going along with the farce after he somehow, magically, gets it? Yuck. Such a flat, desperate perception of love, too, for him to think that it could or should be that simple.
Abbey: Bear never gave a fuck about Nikki!! Ever!! He, famously, only cared about himself which got us into this mess in the first place. Old mate could’ve wished to have an ounce of courage to say how he felt but no. Something must change with her for this to work.
Lia: What did you think of audio from the final scene continuing while the credits came up? It was so haunting.
Abbey: It proves that it’s never-ending! Everyone gets to walk away (or more accurately, you know, they died) while Nikki has a whole life ahead of her to deal with this trauma. So beyond fucked up. Her actual hell is just starting.
Lia: Seeing my feed fill up with Obsession takes is also one of my favourite parts about watching a trending movie in cinemas. Everyone’s had that same experience and then you get to hear how it affected us in similar and different ways. Especially earlier scenes with pre-wish Nikki and realising just how much Bear took away from her.
Abbey: Yes, I saw the whole ‘bear vs man’ reference, which actually has been debunked (Curry never intended for that to be a link) but it’s a cool interpretation and an insane coincidence. I loved revisiting what happened with Bear’s cat and the way he shifts the blame onto the cat getting into the pills is reflected in his lack of accountability for the rest of the movie. Sorry the cat didn’t read the “do not eat” written on the bottom of the bottle bro??
Lia: Bro should’ve followed that advice and not eaten the sandwich either. And speaking of, that Polaroid that Nikki wrote “not me” on? I was so busy being terrified of Nikki that I missed all these heartbreaking cues that she was suffering so badly, and I’m fuming that Bear didn’t catch on much earlier. The movie did such a good job of keeping the tension insanely high through the whole story and kinda bringing it full circle with the ending.
Abbey: The parallel between the start of the movie where Bear says, “What did you do?” to his cat and the ending where Nikki screams the same thing to Bear! Goosebumps!!!! And that tension never let up. Even something as simple as hearing the shower water turn off was haunting because you knew somethingggg was coming and she was gonna flip her lid at any moment. Oh god I love movies that make you feel uncomfortable for 99% of the movie!! I love being on edge!!
Lia: I loved the whole atmosphere and writing and music and everything, but Inde Navarrete was something else. She pulled off the craziest faces and switch-ups that were unfathomably uncomfortable but also achingly sad.
Abbey: Not being able to see her face for so many of the shots is genius. Who is really there? The Nikki we can hear isn’t the Nikki that we see. And we hardly see her because we hardly know her!!
Lia: Honestly, neither does Bear. His whole love confession at the start of the movie was so devoid of any personal details about her. It was just about how much he thought about her.
Abbey: Well we can find out more about her through her Letterboxd account?? Not 100% sure but I think the team behind the movie created a fake account for her and it’s so perfect.
Heya it’s Talecia here :’)))) if there’s a lil part of you thinking about quitting vaping, you’re actually joining thousands of other divas doing their best to get off the vapes for good too. Gonna be gatecrashing the newsletter for the foreseeable with tangible tidbits (say that 10 times fast omg) to support you and your local quitters. Same time next week?
Just in case nobody’s told you today, tryna quit the vapes isn’t perfect but you are!!
Nicotine is highly addictive, and keeps you in a cycle that craves it – it’s not just down to you and your willpower. The nicotine withdrawals may feel intense right now, but remember that they’re only temporary and will get less intense over time the longer you stay off the vapes. Quitting can take multiple tries, so don’t feel discouraged. I’m sure you have people in your life supporting you trying to give up the vapes, so lean on them, but know that I am also proud of you ok <3
You probably have friends who are thinking about quitting too, so just… sus the vibes and ask if they wanna join you and quit together. It’s gonna be hard but it sucks LESS and makes it easier when you’ve got friends in your corner checking in.
Want support to quit? Head here for more resources.
cool shit we’ve done recently:
Yapped about rom-coms w Finding Emily star Angourie Rice
Got the rundown on the Federal Budget
Explored the hazards of success w Hot Mulligan
some things on our radar this week:
We know Aussie music is pretty great ofc, but does the rest of the world? I mean, yes, but mayhaps they don’t know it. I was speaking to our friends at Sounds Australia n they told me that there are loads of people around the world who have no idea Tame Impala is Australian. I know. It’s why, on June 13, they’re bringing the Aussie BBQ to New York City. The stellar lineup includes aleksiah, Betty Taylor, Boy Soda, BRUX, Jack Botts, Mallrat, SHOUSE (live), and Velvet Trip. Junkee’ll be on the ground, too, so if you can’t make it to the Seaport in person, catch the action on our feeds. Who knows? Maybe we’ll spot Mayor Mamdani makin’ his way downtown on a Citibike (omg can you imagine??) — Soph
Warning: I’m about to become SO annoying once July rolls around. Not only are two pop girlies dropping majorrr albums (A*POP by Tyla and petal by Ariana Grande) but we’re now ALSO getting a deluxe drop of moisturiser by Wet Leg ft. the iconic remixes we already love — I’m talking the collabs with The Dare and Fontaines DC?!?! But wait, there’s MORE. Huge news for me and the barn specifically, but we’re also getting a horsegiirL feature on CPR (we go WAY back)!!! I already know that’s about to go platinum in my room once July 10th hits. Hot girls listen to moisturiser (deluxe), confirmed x. — Nish
Before we get her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, Olivia Rodrigo has been spotted trotting around New York with a group of ballerinas. While some people believe she’s protecting them from Timothée Chalamet, and rightfully so, it’s supposedly for a new music video!! Considering Olivia justttt posted the tracklist, fans have started guessing what track this is for (the general consensus seems to be “purple” or “honeybee”). We all know she started embracing her new pink way of life a few months back with her promo walls across the globe, so spending time with pretty pink ballerinas feels like the next natural step. June 12th couldn’t feel further away, so I’m gonna need her to keep feeding us with these teasers until the album officially drops, please and thank you Olivia!! – Abbey
songs to add to your playlist rn:
weshouldgoout - The Heart Shaped Aces
The Heart Shaped Aces have very quickly become my favourite Aus music duo. In a similar vein to the first single of the year ‘patientmonitor’, their latest indie-pop track captures the feeling of fleeting love. FFO Royel Otis and Inhaler, this Melbourne band is gonna be inescapable soon.From Down Here – Lola Young
Created the day after her Grammy win with production from James Blake, ‘From Down Here’ is the South London singer’s first release of 2026. As her experiences in modern pop stardom have seen the highs and lows to each extreme, Young’s earnestly human songwriting becomes even more appreciated. And ofc the vocals are gorgeous, this is Lola Young we’re talking about.White Flag – Vince Staples
Vince Staples has delivered two of the strongest lead singles to any project this year. From his upcoming album Cry Baby (out June 5), the Long Beach legend leaves nothing to allusion and embraces more live instrumentation than before on ‘White Flag’ and ‘Blackberry Marmalade’. Cry Baby ushers in a new creative era for Staples as his debut release for Loma Vista, another incredible addition to one of the most underrated discographies in hip-hop.
(Save this playlist btw, updating every week!!)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) | oh girl, I’m wigging out
My sister and Phil Lester have been begging me to watch for literally a decade, so I thought I’d finally get around to it. Luckily for me, I’m kinda immune to spoilers. I simply don’t see them. In most cases, I have no idea what’s happening. Buffy lived n died in my first six years on this planet, but I’ve got nary a fucking clue who’s who, what happens, who lives, who dies and I’m absolutely ravenous to find out.
I’m currently coming up to the season 2 finale and my thoughts are as follows. Every single monster/demon in this universe is somehow more fugly and disgusting than the last. Truly foul, truly hard to look at. Buffy is incredibly good at kicking!!!! I am (at this stage) down bad for Angel. Even after his soul was sucked out when the curse was lifted. Can’t help it – I love a broody dickhead who knows how to kiss, sue me. Kinda wanna see Drusilla and Cordelia face off somehow. Willow, my shayla, I fear for her always but she’s already getting more brave. Xander is so unhelpful but I’m curious to see how they peel back those layers. Spike too. I wanna see more from him before I make a call (I know Buffy fans are cackling at me rn, I can live with it). Also I am sooooo charmed by Giles. Sooooo charmed. Oh, and the 90s slang is EVERYTHING. Bring back feeling wigged!!!
Buffy, from my understanding, is the catalyst for a lot of teen drama tropes that exist in shows we know and love today – like, anything you can think of, Buffy did it first. I am actually feeling a lot of similar feelings to when I finally watched Grey’s Anatomy. I thought the show would be a LOT different, maybe more serious? But then I met Meredith Grey in the first episode and I was instantly on board. Buffy is an incredibly layered and very, very likeable main character. I’m rooting for her. Idk what lies ahead but I’ll see you on the other side!! – Talecia
Million Dollar Secret S2 (2026) I surely lying to strangers isn’t *that* hard…
This is not a genre of TV I usually lean towards but I guess everyone has a little reality TV on their guilty pleasure watch list, right? Over the weekend, Million Dollar Secret’s second season dropped on Netflix, and because I was between shows, I was like, “You know what, why tf not?”
I’ll admit, I’d watched the first season when it first dropped last year (aka eons ago in my mind), and the memory was vague but enjoyable — which was enough for me to justify giving this a shot. So that’s how I ended up binge-watching the entire season in two days, and I have no regrets. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve found something that’s an easy watch but also keeps my attention in a way that’s not super taxing to my brain (which really is the main criteria, lately).
I will say, though, that watching people fumble over being the secret millionaire; barking up all the completely wrong trees when guessing; and also concocting some wild (albeit clever) plans to end up with the million dollars in their box at the end of the series; I was kinda reminded me how easy it can be to become super shortsighted when put under immense pressure. Sure, I found it infuriating how easily the millionaires were located this season — and how easily that was resolved each time — but it kept me watching, so who am I kidding? Post-binge watch, definitely feeling like this is a semi-smooth-brain watch if you’re into it, divas. — Nish
Junkee Media acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where this newsletter was produced, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
