Obsession is about an affair between a married surgeon, William (Richard Armitage) and his son’s girlfriend, Anna (Charlie Murphy).
It is a case of lust at first sight, but with Anna very much in control. Indeed, the obsession of the title is not Anna’s – she is not the classic destructive femme fatale – it’s William’s. He has little of her self-possession and is unable to accept the rules of the clandestine relationship; he wants more, wants to possess her, even if it costs him everything.
Unlike the book and Malle’s version, this new adaptation, written by award-winning playwright Morgan Lloyd-Malcolm and Benji Walters, very much puts the female perspective at its heart, not only looking at Anna’s dark past and possible motivations, but showing how her desires revolve around the interplay of power, on her own terms.
Therefore the much touted BDSM in the show is simply a means to explore sexual dynamics rather than just being some kinky shit for the mums and dads.
Armitage is on fine form as the troubled and desperate William, and Indira Varma as his wife Ingrid has some scene-stealing moments as her life eventually shatters. Yet this is Murphy’s series – her Anna combines strength and vulnerability, operating with an erotic power from a staggering amount of ‘damage’, which is utterly convincing.
Directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, the entire series operates with a stately sophistication which boils few bunnies but instead hits notes of Hitchcockian suspense.
Most obviously, the show is reminiscent of Vertigo, as one man’s obsession with a woman destroys his mind and his life. The difference here is that, the implicit misogyny in Hitchcock is replaced with a degree of understanding: the male protagonist destroys himself, but it’s hardly just this treacherous woman’s fault.
Unlike most erotic thrillers, Obsession manages to be both erotic and thrilling. Perhaps there’s life in this throwback genre after all.
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