RIYADH: Love, betrayal, and the consequences of past decisions take a terrifying turn in the Kuwaiti psychological horror series “Obsess,” which premieres exclusively on Netflix on Oct. 30.
“Obsess” (or “Al-Nafs Al-Mutma’inna” in Arabic) stars Saudi actor Yaqoub Alfarhan alongside Kuwaiti actress Haya Abdel Salam and Lebanese actress Laila Abdallah. Hussein Al-Mansour, Ibrahim Al-Harbi and Asmahan Tawfiq also feature.
Directed by Lebanese filmmaker Said El-Marouk and written by Eyad Saleh, and set in the 1970s, the series follows Talal, a man who returns to Kuwait with his wife Mona following the death of his father. There, he finds himself haunted by memories of a former relationship, while he and his wife begin to experience disturbing, seemingly supernatural, events.
Speaking to Arab News, Alfarhan, who plays Talal, said the character’s complexity lies in his relationships and the consequences of his choices.
“Sometimes we make decisions that seem very simple or ordinary at the time. But as time passes, we may discover that a particular decision was far more important than we realized,” Alfarhan, who plays Talal, tells Arab News.
The twisty narrative, he adds, may leave audiences with shifting loyalties as the series progresses.
“At one moment, they might sympathize with Talal. At another, they may sympathize with a different character.”
Abdel Salam, who plays Hessa, Talal’s former romantic interest — a woman consumed by love and the desire for revenge, tells Arab News that she spent more than a year preparing for the role, as it “required a great deal of personal and psychological sacrifice.”
The actress reveals that she lost weight, changed her appearance, and even confronted her own fears while filming.
“I’m actually afraid of horror films. Horror is not even a genre I usually enjoy watching,” she says.
El-Marouk says that recreating 1970s Kuwait required meticulous attention to costumes, production design, colors, and even the actors’ voices and movements.
For him, the series’ emotional contrast is its defining feature, moving from romance and tenderness to obsession and psychological torment.
“Without the love story, we would simply be making a horror series designed to frighten people,” he says. “The foundation of ‘Obsess’ is a love story. Everything begins with love.”
