Suspenseful, mysterious and, for want of a better word, sexy, erotic thrillers continue to have us hooked. From Billie Connelly in Sex/Life to Emma Corrin in Lady Chatterley's Lover, we’ve seen protagonists tested by desire at the expense of their deep-rooted self-consciousness and principles, so much so that it’s hard not to be seduced by the plots we see play out on screen.
The latest sultry series to have our attention: Obsession. It sees bewildering Anna Barton (Charlie Murphy) engrossed in a passionate affair with her fiancé’s father, respected London surgeon William (Richard Armitage). The pair’s tumultuous entanglement causes ‘devastating consequences for the whole family’, as the Netflix synopsis reads.
The series is set against the backdrop of glamorous locations in London, Paris and the south of France.
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Here's everything you need to know about Obsession:
Is Netflix’s Obsession based on a book?
The scandalous series is based on Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage, about a British politician, whose world begins to crumble as he forms an inappropriate relationship.
Hart’s novel was originally adapted into a 1992 film by Louis Malle, starring Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Rupert Graves and Miranda Richardson. It earned Richardson an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA award for her role as the resentful wife in the film.
Comparing the novel to the film, Obsession playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm says: ‘I loved the book, which is an amazing page-turning, erotic thriller, but it was written entirely from a man’s point of view.
‘Anna, his lover, is portrayed as a kind of vamp who comes into the family, blows everything up and then disappears. Her primary function is to serve the purpose of what the male lead needs.
‘I said, “If I’m going to do this, I want to make sure I dig into Anna and why she behaves in the way she does.” I wanted to try and understand the characters in the story – and especially Anna – in a way that wasn’t just two-dimensional.’
What’s the plot in Netflix’s Obsession?
Obsession depicts Barton’s forbidden relationship with William, who sees the pair’s tantalising affair as a riveting and precarious game.
Discussing the ‘seductive’ series with Hello!, as Netflix describes it, Armitage said: ‘It's based on a brilliant book about a man who falls in love with his son's fiancée and they get into a very complicated relationship.
‘I play the father, Rish Shah plays the son, Charlie Murphy plays the fiancée and Indira Varma plays my wife. It's a really brilliant cast, so I can't wait for that to air.’
Malcolm said one of the novel’s key messages is written into the film. She explained: ‘You think, “I’ll get all these things – the beautiful wife, the big house, the successful career – and then I’ll be happy.”
‘But that idea is one of the biggest cons of living because so many people get to a stage in their lives where none of those things makes them content.
‘That’s how it is with William. He feels empty and dead inside. And what he’s looking for is to feel animal and alive again. It’s a kind of rejection of modern life and a giving in to base desire.’
She continued: ‘I mean, I guess he’s having the mother of all mid-life crises, right? But he ends up betraying the people he’s meant to love and protect – his wife Ingrid and his son, Jay and the consequences are devastating.’
Who stars in Netflix’s Obsession?
Murphy, (Happy Valley, Peaky Blinders, Halo and The Last Kingdom) and Armitage (The Hobbit, Stay Close, The Stranger) lead the cast as the show's sordid lovers. They are joined by an impressive line-up including Ms Marvel’s Rish Shah, who plays Murphy’s betrayed fiancé Jay, The Capture’s Indira Varma and Pippa Bennett-Warner, who starred in BBC’s six-part psychological thriller series Chloe, alongside The Crown’s Erin Doherty.
Who's working behind the scenes on Netflix’s Obsession?
Malcolm and Benji Walters (Noughts And Crosses) have co-written the series, while Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa are its directors. It’s been produced by Gina Carter, whose previous work includes See How They Run and 24 Hour Party People.
Is there a release date for Netflix’s Obsession?
The four-part series will be available to stream from Thursday, April 13.
Is there a trailer for Netflix's Obsession?
Yes, and you can watch it at the top of this article.
