Curry Barker has just dropped a new short, “Mama Bear,” that could scare up some momentum for his Oscar hopeful Obsession.
The surprise YouTube release arrived Thursday and provides an intense setup that immediately thrusts viewers into a scary and bizarre world.
The five-minute film follows a house cleaner named Floyd (Jon Lee Richardson), who is abruptly woken up by a phone call when the person on the other end screams, “She’s coming for you. She’s going to kill you.” He quickly realizes a nightmare is unfolding around him, spotting blood on the ground and a stranger lurking in the corner — just before Lacy (Katie Sarife) bursts in with a gun. The cast also includes Ericka Kreuz as Ms. Wilson and Joshua Snyder as Floyd’s double, while the crew features such Obsession alums as production designer Vivian Gray and costume designer Blair James.
The timing of “Mama Bear” can’t be ignored. Of course, it arrives days before Halloween, teeing up a thrilling short perfectly suited for spooky season. But it’s also strategic.
As Grammys and Emmys pundits are well aware, an artist or show’s awards prospects can benefit from a tactical release — be it a timely new single, remix, or album rerelease or a fresh batch of episodes — coming as voting is underway to keep said artist or show at the top of mind. This is something that has worked for The Bear in the past on the Emmy side and is a strategy Taylor Swift is employing for the Grammys this cycle. It’s less common on the film side, where we have seen an ill-timed release be blamed on torpedoing an Oscar run, a phenomenon called the Norbit Effect after the infamous Eddie Murphy bomb that purportedly kept him from a Dreamgirls Oscar.
In any case, the release of “Mama Bear” has been a dominant topic online, leading searches and social trends and spawning Reddit threads at a time where Focus Features has been pushing Obsession hard on the FYC circuit in an attempt to score nominations for the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and other precursors ahead of what the studio hopes are some breakthrough Oscar nods.
Whether that buzz translates into votes will remain to be seen, but there’s no denying that Obsession will be a force to contend with.
Barker currently sits at No. 13 for Best Director and No. 3 for Best Original Screenplay in the Gold Derby Oscar odds, while the film’s star, Inde Navarrette, is at No. 3 for Best Actress, trailing Olivia Wilde (The Invite) and Julianne Moore (The Debut).
Best Actress
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Inde Navarrette
Obsession
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Virginie Efira
All of a Sudden
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When it comes to Golden Globes predictions, the film is No. 4 for Best Film Comedy/Musical behind The Invite, The Debut, and Wild Horse Nine and Navarrette stands strong at No. 3 for Comedy/Musical Actress, while Barker ranks at No. 14 for director and No. 8 for screenplay.
Best Film Comedy/Musical Actress
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Inde Navarrette
Obsession
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Meryl Streep
The Devil Wears Prada 2
