Overview
A tale of forbidden love and the price of desire unfolds in a small Italian inn.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- sensual
- foreboding
- classic cinema night
- film noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Visconti’s adaptation as a landmark Italian crime drama, praising its intimate photography, atmosphere, and morally charged performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Giovanna’s loveless marriage and her affair with the drifter Gino turn romantic escape into a criminal and emotionally constricting trap.
The roadside inn, gas station, working-class interiors, and drifter protagonist ground the noir plot in Italian social realism.
Gino and Giovanna’s effort to overcome Bragana’s presence develops into an increasingly dangerous criminal predicament.
Critics specifically emphasize the film’s intimate, almost adulatory photography in its depiction of Giovanna and Gino’s attraction.
Films like Obsession, and why
The Postman Always Rings Twice
shared film noir atmosphere, adulterous desire, and crime-driven romantic fatalism
Bitter Rice
shared Italian neorealist influence, moral ambiguity, and stark rural social realism
The Asphalt Jungle
shared doomed romance, criminal entanglement, and brooding noir fatalism
The Lady from Shanghai
shared oppressive marriage, transgressive desire, and psychologically charged crime drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Luchino Visconti
- Release Date
- 1943-05-16
- Runtime
- 140 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (277)
Cast
- Clara Calamai
- Massimo Girotti
- Dhia Cristiani
- Elio Marcuzzo
- Vittorio Duse
- Michele Riccardini
- Juan de Landa
- Michele Sakara
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Obsession about?
- A drifter’s affair with a dissatisfied innkeeper turns forbidden escape into a suffocating Italian noir of desire, guilt, and consequence.
- What is Obsession like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Obsession as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Obsession violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Obsession as moderate.
- What did critics think of Obsession?
- Critics broadly regard Visconti’s adaptation as a landmark Italian crime drama, praising its intimate photography, atmosphere, and morally charged performances.
- Which films are like Obsession?
- Films with a similar feel include The Postman Always Rings Twice, Bitter Rice, The Asphalt Jungle, and The Lady from Shanghai.
- How long is Obsession?
- Obsession runs 140 minutes.
- Where can I watch Obsession?
- In United States, Obsession is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
