Obsession
Year: 1976
Runtime: 98 min
Language: Korean
Director: Brian De Palma
This gripping drama explores the complexities of obsession and its destructive power through five interconnected stories. The narratives follow diverse characters, including a Japanese traveler searching for answers and a man consumed by despair. Each episode delves into the darker aspects of the human mind, examining the depths of human struggle and the devastating consequences of confronting our deepest fears.
Obsession (1976) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview
Get a spoiler-free look at Obsession (1976) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.
In an ambitious, interwoven tapestry, Obsession follows five distinct lives that echo one another across continents and decades, each probing the thin line between devotion and self‑destruction. The film drifts through bustling New Orleans streets, sun‑lit Florentine piazzas, and the quiet corridors of memory, suggesting that the yearning that drives us is a universal force that can both build and unravel us. Its narrative rhythm is deliberate, allowing moments of stillness to linger just long enough for the audience to feel the weight of unspoken longing.
At the heart of the story stands Michael Courtland, a prosperous real‑estate developer whose polished exterior masks a deep, unrelenting grief. Sixteen years after a cataclysmic personal tragedy, he is haunted by the echoes of a love lost, channeling his sorrow into grand, almost reverent gestures that seek to resurrect what can never truly be reclaimed. His obsession with the past colors every decision, turning ordinary business trips and memorials into pilgrimages of the heart.
The world tightens around him when he encounters Sandra Portinari, a striking young woman whose presence unsettles his carefully curated memories. Their tentative connection is mirrored by the complex dynamics with Robert LaSalle, his longtime partner whose ambitions and loyalties are as shadowed as the city’s night streets. The juxtaposition of New Orleans’ sultry, tension‑laden atmosphere with Florence’s hushed, historic sanctuaries amplifies the film’s exploration of how place can both comfort and imprison a grieving soul.
Stylistically, the drama embraces a restrained, methodical tone, employing lingering close‑ups, subdued lighting, and a score that whispers rather than shouts. The focus remains squarely on internal battles, allowing the audience to sense the magnetic pull of obsession without revealing the concrete events that set the characters on their collision course. In this way, Obsession invites viewers to contemplate how far one will go to chase an echo of the past, and what hidden costs such a pursuit inevitably entails.
Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 18:09
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Thrillers with shocking long cons like Obsession
Stories where deep-seated betrayals are slowly unveiled with devastating effect.If you liked the devastating long con reveal in Obsession, you'll find similar movies here. These psychological thrillers and dramas feature deeply hidden betrayals that unfold methodically, leading to a climactic confrontation that recontextualizes everything the characters thought they knew.
Narrative Summary
These narratives often build over an extended period, lulling the audience and characters into a false sense of security. The central dramatic event is the unveiling of a carefully planned deception, which forces a radical reinterpretation of past events and challenges the protagonist's sanity and understanding of their relationships.
Why These Movies?
Movies are grouped here based on their shared focus on a central, life-altering betrayal, a methodical pacing that builds suspense, and a high emotional weight stemming from the psychological trauma of the reveal. The tone is consistently dark and tense.
Dramas about obsessive grief like Obsession
Intense explorations of characters consumed by loss and their desperate searches.For viewers who appreciated the heavy exploration of grief and obsession in Obsession, this section features similar character-driven stories. These movies focus on protagonists whose lives are defined by a single traumatic loss, leading them on a melancholic and tense journey with bittersweet or tragic conclusions.
Narrative Summary
The story is a linear or episodic journey following a grieving protagonist. Their obsession becomes the central engine of the plot, dictating their actions and relationships. The conflict is often internal, a battle between the need to hold on and the necessity of letting go, set against a backdrop of suspense and psychological tension.
Why These Movies?
These films share a heavy emotional weight centered on grief, a dark and melancholic tone, and a central character defined by obsession. The pacing is typically steady, allowing for a deep psychological portrait, and the intensity is high due to the character's internal turmoil and desperate actions.
Unlock the Full Story of Obsession
Don't stop at just watching — explore Obsession in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Obsession is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Obsession Summary
Read a complete plot summary of Obsession, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.
Obsession Timeline
Track the full timeline of Obsession with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
