‘Obsession’ Submitted as a “Comedy” at the Golden Globes

Here's THR reporting that Focus is submitting Curry Barker's horror breakout "Obsession" in the Musical/Comedy categories at the Golden Globes. Some expected a Drama push, but its studio will try to convince voters it plays like a comedy.

Of course, Inde Navarrette's unhinged Nikki has spawned plenty of memes, so there's a case to be made. There's also precedent. Over the past few years, "Get Out," "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Poor Things," "The Substance" and "Bugonia" all went the comedy route.

Is "Obsession" actually funny? Sort of. It's uncomfortably funny. My theater was laughing during the steering-wheel face smash, but was that out of shock or because of how ludicrous the scene plays? It's an unnerving film, and a few jokes don't make it a comedy. Then again, if you have to choose between Drama and Comedy, this isn't a Drama. That's the Globes' problem, not Focus'.

At this point, the system is broken. Either a Best Genre Film category gets created, or Comedy/Musical gets renamed Best Non-Drama.

If anything, this is Focus attempting to dodge "The Odyssey" in Drama. Instead, Barker's film will go up against "Wild Horse Nine," "The Debut" and "Project Hail Mary." As for Navarrette, she'll now run up against Julianne Moore ("The Debut"), who is coming off rave reviews out of Telluride and TIFF.

The upside here goes beyond Navarrette. Comedy/Musical is a much softer field, which gives "Obsession" a real shot at a Best Picture nomination. Johnston could also sneak into lead actor, something that would never happen against the Drama heavyweights. Even one or two nominations would keep "Obsession" in the conversation heading into Oscar season, and that's the whole point of this move.

Smart category placement, a silly category name, and the same old argument.