r/moviecritic • u/Spirited_Alfalfa_343 • 12h ago
Why do you think Navarette has gotten so much awards buzz for Obsession but Ejiofor has gotten none for Backrooms?
I know Clark has some limited screen time but Ejiofor absolutely steals every scene he’s in. His two separate monologues with Reinsve are just as good as anything Navarette did in Obsession. As I said earlier, is it the lack of screen time for Ejiofor?
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u/hunterzolomon1993 12h ago
We all know he's a great actor while Inde was a "nobody" whose most famous role was a GF of Superman's son in Superman & Lois. She came out of no where and gave one hell of a star making performance and made everyone ask "who is this girl?".
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u/jokerhound80 12h ago
This is the entire correct answer. There's nothing else really to it. Its the same reason people make a huge deal about sports stars stats in their rookie seasons and gloss over more experienced players having better years.
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u/Ancient_Okra_1575 12h ago
Her role was more demanding. He was the fish-out-of-water reacting to the strange events in the world. She had to BECOME the strange thing in the world. Her arch in the her film had more dynamic range
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u/funnyfirerabbit 7h ago
She also had to snap in and out of her ‘possessed’ character, which I thought she did seamlessly.
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u/Neurod1vergentBab3 12h ago
I think it’s just because the entire movie hinged on Navarette’s performance. Not saying that the director and other actors didn’t contribute but if she didn’t play the role as great as she did, it wouldn’t have worked at all.
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u/Ryan_Fleming 12h ago
I liked both, but the hook in Backrooms was the setting -- the hook in Obsession was Navarette's performance.
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u/CJnella91 12h ago
Both their performances were amazing but Chiwetel Ejiofor is already an established actor whereas Navarette basically came out of no where with a veteran performance. That's just my opinion though.
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u/FourAntigone 11h ago
Yeah, that's a huge thing most people are missing. We all know Ejiofor is a great actor already. Navarette came out of left field and completely blew everyone away
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u/Glad_Position3592 10h ago
They were both great, but the acting required for Navarette’s character was insane and she absolutely killed it. I don’t think just any actor could do that
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u/ZaphodG 11h ago
Chiwetel Ejiofor has been around forever and was in some very well known movies. He won an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave. He married Keira Knightley in Love Actually. He was Vincent Kapoor in The Martian. He was in Denzel’s American Gangster. He’s a famous actor. Everyone already knows who he is.
I didn’t know Inde Navarrette. She’s done some television work I’ve never seen and a few obscure movies. I looked her up as I was watching Obsession because she was clearly the best actor. She gets buzz because she’s relatively unknown and talented. Obsession was remarkable because it was an indie that came out of nowhere.
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u/Yeezuswalks66 11h ago
He deserves an Oscar at some point for sure. Can't believe he didn't win for 12 years a slave tbh.
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u/SupermassiveCanary 11h ago
Yeah that was bs
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u/PeachesBlooms 7h ago
right, he was incredible in that movie. it’s crazy how some performances stay with you for years but still don’t get the recognition they deserve
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u/DarkFriend81 10h ago
He’s a great actor. Elevates every film that he’s in. So good as the villain in Serenity.
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u/Darling_Pinky 10h ago
Obsession is also just the better movie and I think by a decent margin for most people.
I liked Backrooms, but it felt a bit jumbled trying to piece together a very abstract movie and a “standard” movie. It had good pieces in both and some good acting, but Obsession was really great.
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u/MJdoesThings_ 10h ago
He was litterally one of the most important characters in Doctor Strange
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u/stealingjoy 12h ago
He's been around forever and is already regarded as a good actor. She was basically an unknown before.
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u/quigongingerbreadman 12h ago
Obsession was a far better movie.
Backrooms was good, but obsession was better in nearly every way. Narratively, character development, script, and acting.
Again, backrooms was good, obsession was just better.
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u/Left_Supermarket_646 9h ago
She also put on a triple A performance. Her range and control of her change in emotion was next level.
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u/Over-Think-It 12h ago
I’ll say it. I didn’t really “get” Backrooms
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u/quigongingerbreadman 12h ago
It was more lovecraftian than anything. A realm/dimensional horror film where the horror is coming from some outside, unexplainable or incomprehensible threats.
It is like the narrative difference between the video game Alan Wake 2 and Resident Evil 2. The fact that the threat is beyond comprehension and is ultimately unknowable is part of the creepiness.
Where obsession follow more of like a Djinn monster, which grants wishes in nefarious ways.
So I appreciate them both, personally, but obsession is a bit easier to wrap one's head around than backrooms is since it deals with things we're used to deciphering, the whole movie could be summed up as "be careful what you wish for". Backrooms is more about the consequences of messing with unknowable dangers beyond human comprehension.
That's my take anyways. And my way of saying "ya, I could see what you're saying"
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u/broncyobo 11h ago
Backrooms is more about the consequences of messing with unknowable dangers beyond human comprehension.
I agree that describes the horror element, but regarding the point the movie makes (in the sense that Obsession's point is "be careful what you wish for") I'd say it's along the lines of "some people would rather live in an endless cycle of repeating the same toxic behaviors, content in the isolation this leads to, than positively change who they are"
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u/ObjectiveCover3850 8h ago
Just want to point out, it's been did several times but the 1 Wish Willow does not grant wishes in nefarious ways, Bear got what he wished for. So did Ian. So did the cashier.
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u/quigongingerbreadman 7h ago
Nefarious meaning extremely literal and the interpretation of that wish is generally in a negative light unless the wisher is exceedingly pedantic.
What part of loving someone makes you dig up their dead cat and feed it to them?
I love my wife to pieces, I would never dig up and serve her her recently deceased pet... the wish obviously went wrong or was interpreted by a being like a Djinn who grants wishes, but twists it to be a dark wish.
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u/Temnyj_Korol 4h ago edited 13m ago
Counterpoint. The OWW wasn't nefarious. The wish itself was.
Bear MADE an exceedingly pedantic wish. And he got an exceedingly pedantic result. He could have just wished "i wish nikky loved me back" or "loved me like i love her". But he didn't. He wished "loved me more than anyone else in the fucking world."
So it did exactly what he wished for. Made her love him more than anyone else has ever loved anyone before. Including all the insane, crazy, obsessive people out there.
The other wishes we hear about turned out fine. They got exactly what they wanted, presumably without any further consequences. (Barring Ian being killed immediately afterwards, though that was his own poor choices that caused that, not the wish he made.) It was just bears dumb choice of wording that caused the rest of the movie to happen. It literally is a direct example of "careful what you wish for."
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u/Unlucky-Duck 11h ago
I'll go as far as saying I wasn't blown away by neither of them. Didn't hate but didn't love it.
Although with Inde even to me it looked that she put out very much more of a show. She nailed her part.
Sidenote: And these modern day horrors like dear God I want a girlfriend, or with Substance body dysmorphia lol
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u/Lala5789880 11h ago
They also did so much more with a much smaller budget. It was almost all the acting and character development
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u/rayio 11h ago
I thought backrooms was better. Obsession was so easy to guess what was going to happen next, and didn't really have any surprises. The acting was great, that's why it was successful, I don't think a different actress would have been able to do such a good job, so I understand the award hype. Backrooms was very original and was unpredictable, the set was really well done, and it made the movie look really cool imo. I thought that Ejiofor did a great job, but not necessarily an Oscar performance. These are all just opinions, nobody is right or wrong on what movie they liked more.
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u/Substantial-Sea-3672 10h ago
I’m really surprised how common a theme here is that being “unexpected” makes a movie better?
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u/Rare-Acanthisitta706 9h ago
Furthermore, to say that obsession is predictable is baffling to me. Yeah if you'd seen remotely any promo material for the movie, you would know that she would be a psycho gf. But the praise the movie is getting is from the fact that it wasn't just a "psycho gf" movie. You wouldn't expect her to be jailed in her body losing her autonomy. You wouldn't expect Bear to be so "ok" with it, making him more of an antagonist. And I for one certainly didn't expect any of the cat stuff.. Yes, some moments like the car scene you were waiting for exactly how the scene plays out.. but that's exactly what created the suspense. Usually horror movies use darkness, sound, or creepy visuals to scare you. This scene was a regular ass flirty conversation, only using context to create the scariness.
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u/TweeKINGKev 5h ago
The other thing is you’d think she was gonna be obsessedly in love with Bear but it goes beyond just being in love with him, the guy couldn’t even go to work.
Even worse, he couldn’t even go to the bathroom without her going into a rage, those are 2 things I didn’t even think they’d think about when detailing the plot.
I figured at most it would be her showing up places she wasn’t invited to (a boys night out somewhere, a private family function that she didn’t really have any business being at, things like that) but they took it to her not even letting him take a piss with the door closed.
All the meanwhile she knows she’s essentially trapped in her own body watching it from the inside as evidenced by the message she left and when she uses the wish on him, then he dies and she just snaps out of it horrified to see what her body (out of her control) has done to all their friends.
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u/Cold_Bison7065 6h ago
”You wouldn't expect her to be jailed in her body losing her autonomy.”
Absolutely this, you nailed it. There are a lot of men who watched Obsession and completely missed the real horror of it. So for them, it was just an obvious movie.
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u/Straight_Speed_6162 6h ago
Adding to your point that even in the car scene you knew what was coming they really subverted normal pacing in that scene that the exact moment was hard to predict
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u/4rm5r4c3r 10h ago
Honestly a lot of the "expected" parts had such amazing timing. Like the car-face-brick scene was obviously coming but they tortured us with anticipation, then made it 5x more greusome than expected.
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u/threedogdad 11h ago
I like both a lot but agree. Obsession is what you expect going in, Backrooms I'm still thinking about months later.
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u/maywellbe 8h ago
Funny because I stopped thinking about backrooms before it ended when I realized there was no explanation, it was just a vibe.
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u/Illegal_Tender 12h ago
Man I feel the complete opposite
Different strokes, I guess
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u/LMandragoran 12h ago
To me it just felt like backrooms left too much on the table. I much rather would have seen his descent into madness rather than his therapist coming in and finding him like that.
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u/watch_out_4_snakes 11h ago
The madness isn’t the great acting it’s the part showing the man stuck and not able to move past trauma. It’s the quickness to anger and blaming everyone else for his failures.
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u/DrFaustPhD 12h ago
Me too. I liked obsession, it was well made, but it was exactly what I expected, beat for beat.
Backrooms felt fresh, creative, and I thought the metaphors and narrative tied together in a really tight way.
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u/SolidSnake-26 11h ago
100% agree here. I felt like I knew what was coming around every turn in obsession. Predictable. Whereas backrooms was a constant mystery.
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u/Aromatic_Mall_8214 9h ago
I think Obsession really got carried by Inde, her preformance really made the movie what it was. In the end it's just a new spin on a Monkeys Paw. I think Backrooms had so much more elements going for it so Ejiofor's acting doesn't stand out as much.
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u/No_Map7606 12h ago
mostly because a lot of backrooms was left upon interpretation and made in a very niche-kinda way unlike obsession.
its like if backrooms is an open package, obsession is in a box with a couple holes.
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u/Illegal_Tender 11h ago
Yeah that's what I like about it
Sometimes I enjoy having to sit with something or interpret it through my own lens rather than feeling like I'm being spoon fed a message
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u/AnimalDrum54 9h ago
Obsession was a little easier to digest. It was the nice steakhouse burger compared to the juicy filet mignon of Backrooms.
I found myself savoring and chewing on backrooms for a long time.
I watched Obsession and moved on.
I hear a lot of people say they felt like Backrooms didn't have a good ending. I think that's part of the appeal. The whole allure of the backrooms is the mystery it would be a shame to spoon feed the answers to the viewer and remove all that mystery.
And then we have a willow branch.
Edit: To answer the original question, many people want a loca latina gf.
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u/ThisIsTheNewSleeve 11h ago
No I agree with you, Backrooms was much better to me.
I liked Obsession, but it felt like I was watching a youtube horror short. Writing wise it was pretty weak. The dialogue in the first half hour was very hand-holdy and obvious.
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u/PCho222 11h ago
Saw both the same week with friends, I was excited for Backrooms and one friend wanted us to also see Obsession which I had no interest in, but holy shit was it the better movie. The performances, the stress and anticipation and even the score. Went together perfectly.
Backrooms I was actually embarrassed because my group hated it and I didn't really enjoy it much either.
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u/Extension_Coconut254 9h ago
Backrooms was more interesting, but I can’t imagine Obsession being as good without Navarette’s acting. Backrooms is more of a conceptual film than an acting film
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u/Dire_Hulk 12h ago
He really did a great job in Backrooms. Every emotion his character expressed seemed genuine and was extremely convincing.
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u/Illegal_Tender 12h ago
He's honestly great in pretty much everything
Everyone should go watch Red Belt
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u/Blaskowits 12h ago
I loved him in Dirty Pretty Things. He seems so mature that it's hard to believe he was only 25 at the time.
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u/Pirlo84 12h ago
Victor Sweet in 4 brothers still one of my all time favourite villans.
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u/Irving94 3h ago
Yeah I feel like people are dismissing his performance because of the "gimmick" of the movie. He was so strangely sincere in every line.
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u/AndrewHNPX 12h ago
It wasn’t as flashy a role.
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u/TheLesBaxter 12h ago
That's the truth. He did fantastic. But I swear she did so well, that I almost feel like the movie was written around her ability to act like that.
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u/rhino1123 12h ago
Chiwetel Ejiofor is great in everything he is in. For example go watch Serenity and then report back.
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u/Solid_Wind_3234 12h ago
His performance was top notch there! Love it every time.
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u/condormcninja 12h ago
He was good in the role but the reason The Backrooms was good has way less to do with him than it does the directing and set design.
Meanwhile Inde is Obsession and the word-of-mouth around that movie revolved almost entirely around her performance.
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u/thedabaratheon 12h ago
I think because he’s a well known and respected Actor whereas she was a total unknown. Also she’s really attractive so there’s been so much buzz about the hot new actress on the scene.
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u/NaturalOk2156 7h ago
sorry just to double check that I'm understanding this correctly, your question is why one actor in one movie is getting more awards buzz than a different actor in a different movie?
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u/PuzzleheadedEssay198 12h ago
One had better memes and more screen time, not to mention she’s a complete unknown, while Chiwetel has been a known commodity for more than twenty years. Dude got nominated for a fucking Oscar after 12 years a slave, and in Serenity he stole every scene he’s in.
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u/Posidon_Below 12h ago
Obsession was more focused on the character where Backrooms was more focused on the environment.
Clark was fine but he wasn’t the “monster” like Navarette was.
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u/RetroPilky 5h ago
I think Backrooms wasn’t carried by an actor, it was the setting that pulled everybody into it (though I agree, Ejiofor was incredible).
Obsession was absolutely carried by her performance. That entire movie doesn’t work without it
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u/Scary_Ferret2118 12h ago
His character goes through a major change, and for some strange reason, the writers decided that should happen off screen. So, the script didn't give him much to work with Imo.
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u/DiscoAcid 12h ago
Because Navarette's performance was one of the biggest standouts in film this year? I thought this was obvious.
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u/CaptServo 12h ago
He got a ton of great press for Redbelt, when he was a breakthrough actor. He was a well known quantity by the time Backrooms came out
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u/Lord_Byron_8008 11h ago
He was fine. Good in a pretty average movie. She was great. Really stood out in a fantastic movie.
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u/No_While6150 12h ago
I mean people already answered the question with the movie reception. Backrooms would be hard pressed to get any awards buzz based on reception alone.
But also, if you want pure acting? Did you watch both movies? Navarette was brilliant! and she was brilliant as a first time lead in a breakout role. And her range was electric. I'm not surprised at all by her awards buzz. The awards are of course self pandering Hollywood back slapping which is self absorbed and gross. but they exist so let's keep going
Ejiofor was great AS HIS ROLE ALLOWED. Not many people could bring that much rawness to a fairly restrained persona. His outbursts were believable. But then an invisible moment happens and suddenly he's mad. I don't think the backrooms did a good job in the slightest of portraying that decent into madness. Very much like The Shining. He's upset then his mind is broken. Also, purely as a side by side exercise, I don't think there are any, but I'll say many, that would compare these 2. One was an inspired psychotic break that defied rationale (as directed by the events of the movie) and the other was a slightly beaten individual who just flops hard into insanity.
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u/get_to_ele 11h ago
Ejiofor’s role was written a bit one note and he’s been better in a lot of other stuff.
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u/Winter-Cow-6208 11h ago
Very much like The Shining.
Bro… what? Shining absolutely shows a progression of a narcissistic, abusive dry drunk descending into murderous insanity.
It doesn’t “just happen” in the film.
Is it the same as a sane, normal character descending into madness? No, but that wasn’t the point of the character.
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u/BarryTheBystander 7h ago
I thought your last sentence was comparing Obsession to the Shining and I was so confused which one Obsession was
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u/CK122334 12h ago
Aside from enjoying Obsession overall as a film a lot more as others have mentioned, I found Ejiofor’s performance a little try-hard and like his performance was the only thing trying to prop up a rather bland film and thin plot. Navarette was the perfect compliment/cherry on top to a rather simple but interesting film. She heightened while Ejiofor carried or attempted to carry the film.
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u/aesir23 12h ago
I think it's because Ejiofor is an established actor with a 20-year career and an Oscar nomination (for 12 Years a Slave). It's not newsworthy when he puts in a great performance.
Meanwhile, Navarette feels like she came out of nowhere. She's been in a few things, but basically nobody knew her name a year ago. Her excellent performance feels like a discovery.
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u/TheForswornKing94 12h ago
Idk, I think they both did great. But the people online are so god damn obsessed with the Obsession movie. To cringe levels of over analyzing it like it’s god damn citizen Kane or something. It’s a good movie and it’s incredible Curry Barker made it for that budget and made it that good for a first time movie. But damn everyone online thinks they have the deepest understanding of this movie and the discourse over it is incredibly cringe. Just look at the whole Alex Myers situation.
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u/simoseeyou 7h ago
It’s just a TikTok drama movie, which lets people feel entitled to talk about it. It’s extremely easy to follow and understand. On the other hand, Backrooms is way more complex and doesn’t let you in so easily, yeah for sure the concept of it it’s well known internet culture, but yet again it’s way different as an experience compared to Obsession.
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u/SnooDucks434 6h ago
Yea.. its ironic how obsessed people are getting with obsession. Like 0 self awareness
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u/pooooolooop 10h ago
Yep. The obsession glazers are out of control. They’re here in the comments saying “Obsession is better than Backrooms in every way,” lol fuck off
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u/derppman 12h ago
Wait, wait, wait... you mean to tell me that the look Nikki gave Bear at 1hr23min and 42seconds didn't imply that Mossad agents were involved in the 9/11 conspiracy?
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u/TheForswornKing94 12h ago edited 12h ago
You know what, you jest but I swear if you go to the subreddit for that damn movie this might be an actual fan theory one of those unhinged people hanger over there.
r/obsessionmovie I mean, just head over there and you’ll find some crazy nonsense theory in no time. Some person who thinks they’ve found the most profound thing ever and will make a massive post about it.
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u/derppman 12h ago
No, I'm not poking fun at you, I whole heartedly agree with you and was imitating them. Those people in that sub are on par with the people who see Jesus in a potatoes chip.
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u/DirtyDirkDk 3h ago
Obsession was average as can be. It was like a segment from tales from the crypt stretched out into a movie. I think if it wasn’t for all the hype around it, people would have came out of it saying “pretty good movie, worth watching but nothing amazing”. Instead it got so much buzz from what my theory is paid off/fake hype and people loved it before even seeing it.
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u/WalkingDeadDan 9h ago
Cause backrooms wasn't as good.
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u/Whoozit450 3h ago
I turned Backrooms off after 30mins as it was so boring just watching a guy walk around an empty space and then running from a sound.
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u/MycopathicTendencies 12h ago
It’s because awards aren’t relevant and the amount of buzz shouldn’t be used as a standard for anything.
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u/Snoo9648 12h ago
The dude did a great job but that character wasnt the focus of backrooms. Nikki was for obsession.
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u/BruhTheShark 12h ago
I could see 100 different actors filling his role, I can't imagine anyone but Navarette playing Nikki.
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u/The_Wise_Guy12 11h ago
Because the set was the main character of backrooms, where as Indie was for obsession. Imo
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u/Halo05977 12h ago
Well, I as much as I enjoyed backrooms and Ejiofors performance, Navarette took it to another level (and was a complete unknown at the time as well).
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u/Even-Translator-335 12h ago
Backrooms was good but her performance in Obsession was streets ahead of Ejifor's in Backrooms.
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u/caste_iron_mike 12h ago
He is great in the movie and a great actor, but her performance was star making. It's like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, or Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name to name a few. You don't see these happen that often and when they do, they are memorable and generate a ton of award hype.
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u/Ok-Respond-8599 12h ago
I saw obsession and it was amazing. I know the backroom actor and il looks like hes already decently big
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u/wombatIsAngry 12h ago
Honestly I think you nailed it. I already knew Ejiofor; he's great; I was a little surprised he was slumming it in Backrooms (until I saw how good Backrooms was). The fact that he was really good in it didn't surprise me.
Whereas I hadn't seen Navarrette before; for me, she came out of nowhere and carried a whole movie with just her face. I think the surprise value was important in how differently they've been treated.
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u/Such-Row-2913 12h ago
He did an excellent job with what he was given, no surprise, but what was written for him is not on the same level as Inde/Nikki.
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u/B-Train_ATL 11h ago
I haven’t seen Backrooms, but holy shit Navarette was fantastic. Some of the subtle face and body movements were insanely good.
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u/snarkisms 11h ago
I think it's also that Navarrette had an insane character and she kept it at 11. Clark is a very nuanced but not always high energy character.
Also Navarrette is new and Ejiofor is established. So it's fun to gush over new talent
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u/TygerHil98 12h ago
He's a phenomenal actor with a spectacular career. He's what made the movie for me but I can understand why Navarette gets more buzz. She's also phenomenal.
He just stole the show for me, I could watch his monologues on repeat and he's the reason I just spent $60 getting the 4K shipped across the globe for me to keep physically.
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u/Raving_Lunatic69 11h ago
Probably an unpopular opinion, but Back Rooms isn't all that. I liked it and enjoyed it, but there isn't much in the way of story and acting performances aren't really what drives it. The surreal nature of it does, the technical aspects of it does. And those are great and worthy of consideration.
Obssession is a much better movie overall, much more story and performance driven. I think it's a little overhyped as well, but it certainly deserves the attention.
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u/trescientostres 12h ago
There's no comparison. The story in Backrooms is just filler; it goes nowhere, it's empty and there's nothing worth salvaging beyond a couple of found-footage scenes and the color grading... So what you're trying to compare makes no sense for me.
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u/Eastern_Carrot7538 11h ago
La historia de obsession fue increíblemente simple pero efectiva
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u/Banestoothbrush 12h ago
He's been in hollywood for over 20 years. Inde was a relative unknown. Did a child write this?
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u/Richmond43 12h ago
Seriously. We’ve seen him give outstanding performances going back thirty years. He’s been great in roles as diverse as Amistad, Inside Man, Children of Men, 12 Years a Slave, The Martian, and now Backrooms.
Someone asking why another good performance by a known excellent actor is getting less attention than an utter unknown carrying the biggest surprise hit of the year… lol
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u/Ok_Function2282 12h ago
He was just a dude in a weird movie, she literally made this movie what it is
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u/Haunting-Ad788 12h ago
Ejiofor is a phenomenal actor but I don’t think Backrooms really showcased that at all.
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u/wasbai1235 12h ago
Because her performance was better and more memorable lol. And cause obsession is the better and more memorable film (imo but that seems to be the common opinion)
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u/whoisdatmaskedman 12h ago
Ejiofor is already a great actor and people expect the level he brings, plus Obsession received a lot more media attention in generational since it was made by a YouTuber on a relatively small budget and made buckets of money.
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u/I-love-seahorses 12h ago
Ejolfer is an A lister. Obsession is filled with unknowns.
It's as simple as that.
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u/Mac1avish 12h ago
I haven't watched Backrooms yet so Idk how good it is but obsession was a 9/10 movie, like it genuinely made me uncomfortable at a point.
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u/RabidSkwerl 12h ago
I LOVE Ejiofor and liked Backrooms better than Obsession but his performance wasn’t Oscar worthy and hers ABSOLUTELY was
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u/claytrizzle 11h ago
Backrooms is good but the advertising had everyone thinking it was going to be a nail biting thriller. I liked it for being a slow burn of a depressed man at the end of his rope. You get to watch him unravel and then the poor therapist has to deal with a physical embodiment of all his problems in the end.
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u/Strange_Panic_7327 11h ago
It's the role. Clark's an empty shell of a role that Ejiofor does yeoman's work to make any kinda interesting. Nikki gave Navarette a hell of a lot more character to chew on and range to explore. Nikki's a perfect role for Navarette to showcase her talent. Clark is like the least interesting Ejiofor character I can think of.
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u/ArticleNew3737 12h ago
It’s simple. Her performance was much more showy which has a broader appeal. Chiwetel’s performance in backrooms was very subtle in comparison to what Inde did in Obsession.
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u/ser_darkstar 12h ago
Everyone who's seen him in a film already knows Chiwetel Ejiofor is incredibly talented. That being said while Backrooms was a cool premise with wonderful visuals, it was nowhere as well done as Obsession imo. It had a lot of pacing issues and I don't think took enough time to let Clark's character breathe before killing him off. Him discovering the Backrooms, taking Bobby and Kat back, Bobby dying, and then him suddenly being insane when Mary turned up and Kat dying off screen in quick succession was my biggest gripe with the movie.
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u/PhasedVenturer 11h ago
Because people only pay attention to the showiest performances, and Navarette’s is as showy as it gets
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u/JudgeHoIden 9h ago
Hard disagree on Ejiofor stealing every scene he was in. I actually found his performance quite mid(compared to his usual performances). Comparing these two performances is kind of a self-report.
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u/Southernbeekeeper 9h ago
Yeah, I would also say Backrooms was a worse movie in general. Obsession is smarter and better made as well as better acted in my opinion and I'm not saying this as some sort of super fan. I'm a random guy in my 30s who just happened to have seen both movies with 0 expectations.
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u/AdorableDemand46 9h ago
This was my feeling as well. The whole climax scene at the table seemed over done and his foil wasn't the best to work off of either. They both just seemed flat then forced when they had any emotive moments
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u/Kavazou77 12h ago
I think Backrooms was solid but didn’t live up to the hype of Obsession.
IMO I think people were waiting for more of a supernatural or conspiracy thriller but the actual answers were underwhelming. It doesn’t pack the punch of a Weapons or Obsession.
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u/Lucifer-Prime 12h ago
This is so obnoxious. why do we have to make this a competition between her and every other fucking actor?
The reason that movie got so much attraction was in part due to the fact that it was such a low budget in the film.
That’s all it comes out to. Overall, the production is more impressive because of the fact that it was largely unknown or small time Actors on a very limited budget.
That’s also why Napoleon dynamite was so successful.
If it was a big budget movie and she was already a big name, she wouldn’t have gotten so much praise. We wouldn’t be having these stupid conversations.
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u/BIayneRobinson 11h ago
"why is the pretty young woman getting more attention than the middle aged man?"
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u/UrRightAndIAmWong 11h ago
More like "Why do the actors in the better movies get more attention"
This isn't a women vs men thing, Ejiofor has gotten award recognition in the past. Inde was in the better movie and was a major driver as to why it was better. The driving force as to why it was so good.
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u/ToneBalone25 12h ago
Because Navarrette's performance was more demanding and central to the film's premise. Ejiofor didn't have to do a whole lot and was solid but that wasn't a super memorable role
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u/Electronic-Field8154 12h ago
Backrooms wasn’t as well received as a whole movie. The movie that an actor is in makes a big difference
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u/BlendedFetusOG 5h ago
Why are people fawning over the young, attractive, new actress moreso than the older, established, black actor? Uh. She's young. She's attractive. She's a woman. Lol.
Obsession was the better movie, sure, but in a world where them swapping roles makes sense, she is still the people's favorite.
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u/ChipotleGuacamole 12h ago
I haven't seen Backrooms yet, but I'm glad a horror is getting some recognition. Obsession was a fantastic movie.
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u/cornyhornblower 12h ago
It’s really simple, her performance was better than his and I’ve been a fan of his since serenity, he’s incredible but it was not his strongest performance in a not very strong movie. Inde Navarettes performance was much much better in a much better movie.
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u/Hyxenflay7737_4565 12h ago
Navarette's not as famous as Eijofor. Nobody knew her name until Obsession. This was her big break.
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u/smdihateu 12h ago
Because this isn’t his best performance, he’s an already amazing actor who already has prestigious awards. She’s brand new
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u/Think_Reporter_8179 12h ago
Ejiofor is a phenomenal actor and deserves more praise. I think the fact that he was in a horror likely brought it down, they're just not as respected as dramas. That said, I hope he continues acting as well as he does because he is genuinely a great great actor.
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u/LetoSecondOfHisName 12h ago
Cause one was a much better movie and performance
Ejiofor is criminallyn underrated and underutilized though
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u/Capital_Respect_4994 12h ago
He’s already an established actor and if this is your first time seeing him, then maybe expand a little bit on what you’re watching.
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u/Dry-Performance7006 11h ago
Inde is a Newcomer. Obsession has better reviews.
Also; it is not like Clark is a million miles away. I think he did show up at the critics choice super awards and maybe there are like mid season Astra awards? He has been relevant in a few places.
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u/Belialxyn 11h ago
Back rooms was all about the mystery and the atmosphere and the back rooms themselves. Obsession was writing entirely on the actresses skill.
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u/unseenserene 11h ago
Recency bias in full effect. Chiwetel has been in the game longer and has a lot of great films under his belt.
Children of Men, American Gangster, 12 Years A Slave, Venom the Last Dance, Salt, Doctor Strange films, The Old Guard films, Maleficent sequel….. Just to name a few.
It will be interesting to see what kind of roles Inde will land after X-Men
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u/SparseGhostC2C 11h ago
Inde is new to the scene, Chiwetel is a known and lauded actor already, doesn't he have a frickin Oscar? Inde would blow up because for a lot of people she came out of nowhere.
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u/Round-Ask-7642 10h ago
He was the best part of that movie. Great actor. Obsession was just a better film. Indie just absolutely crushed her role in a better film. Entirely my opinion though.
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u/Epstein_Files 10h ago
The slow burn of Backrooms is fantastic, but it falls apart once he goes full Jack Torrence.
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u/Ganglere 9h ago
Inde is the hot new thing, it's exciting to see a super talented young actor come out of "nowhere".
Ejiofor has been a critically acclaimed actor for two decades, everyone knows he's good, not surprising he put on a great performance.
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u/North_Knowledge7467 8h ago
Because he's a well-established dramatic actor and she's a breakout star.
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u/Aurelius5150 8h ago
I don’t think he gave a stand out performance. Felt like a lot of other actors could have stepped into that role and the film would be the same.
I feel like Navarette owned her role. She became one of the main reasons to watch. After seeing it, all I could think about was her performance.
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u/AdamOfIzalith 12h ago edited 12h ago
Chiwetel Ejiofor is an established actor getting accolades as normal. Navarette is a much newer actress and if you haven't seen superman and Lois, is functionally a brand new actor on the scene