Obsession is the second genre short film written and directed by Annalisa Iavarone (Invitation to dinner) and produced by Giuseppe Iavarone and Ilaria Minesi. Unlike the first film directed by Iavarone and dealing with anthropophagy, in Obsession one of the most macabre paraphilias is addressed, namely necrophilia, a scabrous yet fascinating topic that is certainly difficult to deal with.
The protagonist of the story is Simone (Simone Bisanzio), a young man infatuated with Angela. The young man is so obsessed with her that he goes so far as to follow her without her knowledge. In order to make her acquaintance, Simone organizes a costume party in his own home.
Annalisa Iavarone confirms that she has good ideas and proves it with this interesting short film about necrophilia. Moving beyond the visible paucity of means, what is striking is the story, which, in addition to its particular theme, has some elements that make it interesting. The party with the masked guests, Simone's warm cozy room, the calavera makeup associated with being a necrophiliac, the approach with the girl who obsesses him, and his behavior after being rejected are elements that fit together well and serve as the right support for an unhealthy story. A positive note also for the music that casts the entire film in a decadent atmosphere.
The cast's lackluster acting performance, however, compromises the final outcome of the film. The absence of dialogue should be compensated by actors perfectly cast in the part and able to convey the soul of their character with a single glance. In Obsession the actress stages an unbelievable death while the protagonist does not seem to be able to play a disturbed character. As a result, his actions do not convey the overwhelming sense of disgust and revulsion that necrophiliac-themed films usually make the viewer feel.
The inclusion of some gruesome scenes would surely have enriched the nefarious aspect of the story, which is instead treated with extreme delicacy. A more substantial budget or, alternatively, a more detailed script and a better acting performance would certainly have benefited the Obsession enough to make it a potentially good film about necrophilia.
The cast of Obsession consists of Simone Bisanzio (Dinner Invitation), Sofia Maffeis, Raffaello Colombi, Gianluca Agazzi, Aurora Iavarone, Lucrezia Bonfanti, Annalisa Iavarone, Oscar Monteleone...
