Obsession (2023) is a provocative British psychological drama-thriller that delves into the depths of lust, secrecy, and self-destruction. Loosely based on Josephine Hart’s novel Damage, this Netflix limited series reimagines the classic tale with a modern lens, focusing on forbidden passion and its devastating consequences.
At the center of the story is William Farrow (played by Richard Armitage), a respected London surgeon with a seemingly perfect life—successful career, devoted wife, and a son he admires. But everything begins to unravel when he meets Anna Barton (Charlie Murphy), his son’s enigmatic fiancée. What starts as subtle fascination soon spirals into a dangerous and all-consuming affair that neither of them can control.
As William becomes obsessed with Anna, he begins to lose grip on reality, risking not only his family and career but his sanity. Anna, harboring a dark past and emotional scars of her own, seems drawn to the chaos as much as she fuels it. The relationship becomes a toxic dance of power, guilt, and unspoken trauma—where desire collides with destruction.
Stylishly directed and emotionally intense, Obsession explores themes of moral collapse, emotional repression, and the price of unchecked temptation. Its slow-burning tension is laced with erotic energy, but underneath the surface lies a haunting study of damaged people craving connection in all the wrong places.
Richard Armitage delivers a layered performance as a man unraveling before our eyes, while Charlie Murphy commands the screen with mystery and vulnerability. Their chemistry is electric, but never comforting—always teetering on the edge of something disastrous.
Obsession asks a chilling question: when desire overrides reason, who do we become? And is love still love when it devours everything in its path?
