Is the new Netflix original movie Secret Obsession worth your time?
The film features Disney Channel star Brenda Song, who plays the protagonist, Jennifer. As the movie opens, she is caught in a traumatic attack from a masked attacker. After an intense sequence of cat and mouse, Jennifer gets hit by a car in the chase.
Due to this, she wakes up with amnesia and doesn’t remember anything from her past. Jennifer is greeted by her husband, Russell (Mike Vogel). He informs her of who she is, what she does, and their life together. The couple returns to their secluded house in the mountains, where Jennifer continues rehab, which leads her to gradually gather her memories back.
As these memories slowly return, Jennifer starts to notice unusual behavior in Russell; he has become more tense and wary when asked about her past, parents, and friends she had before the accident. Curiosity leads Jennifer to investigate this suspicious behavior. What she finds leads Jennifer to realize she is not far from the danger she thought she escaped.
The film’s title leads the viewer to easily conclude what the major plot twist will be, which loses the impact of the big secret reveal the director planned for the film. The acting throughout the movie can be described as classic over-dramatic horror acting; cheesy and cliché. This can be shown in the opening scene when Song’s character makes a loud gasp while hiding from her attacker.
Mike Vogel did a poor job in connecting with Song, and it felt forced. Though the film started fast-paced with an intense chase scene, the movie’s plot progression was slow and over all predictable.
Compared to other Netflix Originals such as Gerald’s game and Cargo, the film’s poor writing an underdeveloped plot. The characters felt as if they one dimensional and had no development as the film continued.
One positive about the film was the musical score that was tied in with the scenes. It helped build drama and give more dimension to the scenes.
Due to the slow plot progression and cheesy acting, Secret Obsession receives a two out of five stars. I would only recommend this movie if there was nothing else on Netflix to watch.