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Obsession (2026) is by far one of my favorite movies, and I loved every second of it, even the parts that scared me. Every actor, writer, and so many talented and creative people brought depth to a story that is meant to disturb, unsettle, and provoke reflection. Part of me wondered if I should even write Liberation, if it would disrespect what Curry Baker and many of those talented individuals created. The other part of me wanted to see what could have been, and the discourse around this movie was quite eye-opening to see. A good movie REALLY makes you think, and that’s what Obsession did. This story does not seek to erase or minimize the impact of how people felt.
There were so many moments in the movie that I personally struggled to grasp because it was so powerful. Nikki’s final sob at the end haunted me. I cried when Sarah’s acceptance letter was shown. Heck, as bad as Ian was, his death in the movie still caught me off guard. Bear was the villain of Obsession, without a doubt, and I found it so hard to contain how much I hated him as a character. I hated how selfish he was. I hate how entitled he was. I hated how egotistical and arrogant he was, especially with the “What’s so bad about being with me” bit. But he squandered every chance he got and knew the consequences of his actions, yet he did not care. It was hard for me to separate the actors from their characters. I had to remind myself, this was just a movie, and the actors put their hearts into their acting. Do not take it personally. People are allowed to have different opinions. Resist the urge to get into online brawls. Some people online said Sarah got what she deserved, and as flawed as she was, I strongly disagree. Some people said the bad ending was intentional, and to show a good ending would defeat the message of the movie. I ALSO strongly disagree with this argument too. I wanted to see what would happen IF none of these events ever happened. I wanted to see IF there was still hope. I wanted to see if there was still a future remaining for everyone, with the exception of Bear in the movie.
I was angry about how stupid Bear acted. I could not stomach any of the so-called “romance” scenes. He needed some stupid magic stick because he’s so afraid of rejection. He has no idea how love actually works. He CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ROMANCE NOVEL AND A LOVE STORY for crying out loud. Come on. In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods got rejected by Warner Huntington the THIRD and what did she do? Did she mope and cry over Warner? Yes. Did she question what her identity was? ALSO YES. Did she depend on Warner for everything? NO. She got into Harvard, and she found what her purpose was! what, like it’s hard?
Liberation is not a correction of what happened canonically. It is a conversation with it. It asks us to think and sit with the events. What happens when obsession is replaced with accountability? What happens when Bear confronts the harm he caused? What happens when personhood, agency, free will, and autonomy are respected instead of erased? What if Bear confronted the risks head-on instead of running? So I took this anger, these emotions, these intense burning feelings, and I broke out a Word document, and started writing and writing and writing. Heck, I think this went from "what if Bear was an entirely different person" to "okay hear me out. FEMINIST BEAR. Baron "Bear" Bailey rejecting the toxic norms of masculinity, the "fight for someone" script, the "nice guy" script, and actively choosing to educate himself knowing how hard it is. Then I thought about how Nikki Freeman wanted to be an writer and focus on her love story book. Then I thought about how Sarah Harper wanted to be a tattoo artist and go to Luther Art School.
Obsession is the inability to let go of someone, something, or a feeling. Refusing to give those beings a choice. Liberation is an active, conscious choice to set someone, something, or those feelings free. This story does not redeem Bear or absolve the consequences of his actions in the canon timeline. It does not erase the trauma caused. It does not pretend the harm never happened. It does not change how much I hated Bear in the movie itself. It simply imagines what growth might look like if he chose to confront himself instead of clinging to his fantasies.
And let me say this, about love directly.
Love is not about what someone can do for you. It is not about the good times. It is not about making your identity around them. It is not about pleasing them and only them. It is not about trying to control them. It is not about filling a void. It is not about dismissing who someone is. It is about risk. Vulnerability. Seeing someone for who they really are, behind the bravado. Behind the masks they put up. Behind their flaws. They are not trophies to parade around. They are not prizes to fight for. They are people. Real people with stories behind them. Love is about listening and choosing to respond to those stories directly. Life is NOT a Hollywood story, where the outcomes are predetermined and you don't have to put effort into anything. You will fail, at some point in your life, and this is something that is often hard to avoid. But we learn through failure, and that is how we grow.
There is a known risk with love. Choosing to be vulnerable is not an easy thing to do. We like to say, “if you like someone, why not just tell them directly?” There are many factors that play into making the active decision to confess that we are not told. It is not really easy as it sounds. We might confess for many different reasons that have nothing to do with wanting a genuine connection with someone. Wondering if they feel the same way. Closure. Wondering if this changes how we are viewed. Wondering if they complete us. Wondering if it will go right. Wondering if the time is right. Wondering if we will be embarrassed. Rather than complain and let these questions be something we obsess over, it is right to take the risk anyway, than stifle ourselves because we are afraid. Trying to eliminate that risk entirely defeats what actual, healthy, and real love is. We should really be encouraging ourselves to reflect. What if they're not ready? What if they don't want a confession, because it would dramatically change the nature of said relationship? What if they're really afraid to lose YOU, as a friend? What if they feel safe around you? Shouldn't we want that? I am actually surprised at how quick people are to cut someone off upon being friendzoned, because that quickly shows they were never friends for the sake of friends to begin with.
Love is not a binary thing. For the people whom are the recipients of being confessed to, they do not always give a direct answer right away. It takes time for people to process what they hear. Will they feel the same in 5, 10, 20, or a couple years ahead? Is this someone we want our future to have? Don’t people change, if given enough time? They are not always obligated to say yes. They have the right to say no. That no should be respected. Yes, things can change over time. Yes, those feelings can blossom later. Yes, people have individual wants and needs. That is not always how many people who meet each other and eventually grow apart go. A no is not something to be ignored or treated like it does not matter. Someone who cannot take no for an answer, is not someone we should want to love us. Rejection is indeed painful, and I would be foolish to pretend it is not. We can understand why someone can say no. They do not owe us an explanation. It is their conscious, active choice to do so. It is not something to ignore whether someone is attractive or not. If you love someone, shouldn't you also be prepared to let them go? Clearly, Bear was not able to. I would also argue that even IF that were the case, Bear and Nikki would NOT work as a couple, unless Bear had major character development or personality changes. He was NOT in the right state of mind to even find a romantic relationship, given he was grieving the death of Barbara Bailey and the deaths of his parents at a young age.
There is nothing wrong with being afraid of confessing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be loved. To be seen. To be heard. These are natural, valid, and genuine questions we should ponder. I personally, am a nervous wreck when trying to confess to the people I like. But we need to take into account the human nature of love, the flawed parts, and acknowledge the risks that exist. We are not pretending those risks do not exist. But we are not afraid of those risks. They have no power over us. It is wrong to force someone to love you when they do not feel the same way. People are not things to be discarded, or treated like ghost stories to gossip about. They are not about who is better or who is worse. They have agency, personhood, autonomy, and free will. Love is something that comes naturally, and it is something that I would want to develop over time rather than let the spark be instant. I don’t need some stupid stick to say how I feel. I don’t need to define myself by being afraid. And I want love to be genuine. Not manufactured. Not AI-like. Where I can see them as they are. The REAL them. Bear understood absolutely NOTHING about Nikki, and we saw this with his so-called "confession". Hell, Sarah WANTED to learn more about Bear, and yet his focus on ONE person as the center of his universe blinded him to that. Why fall in love with someone who won't even reciprocate your efforts? Again, she clearly deserved a lot better than her fate in Obsession, and once again, IF Bear had major character development or a personality change, this ALSO would not have worked. I did question why Sarah didn't get Nikki help at the party, or what's with the implied grudge they had, and some of the cut scenes from the movie could have shed more light on that.
Thank you to the creators of Obsession for crafting this story that challenges me, moved me, and inspired me to write this alternate path. Thank you to Curry Baker for rejecting $2 million to make Bear the “good guy” of the movie and sticking to your team’s vision even when it was difficult. And thank you to every reader who chose to explore Liberation with me.