In the first film the Dark Knight, many of the characters are obsessed. The Joker is obsessed with causing chaos and trying to ruin Batman. Batman is obsessed with stopping all crime and trying to get out of the game. He is also very concerned on getting Harvey in the power he needs to take his role of being the enforcer of justice. Harvey is obsessed with getting in charge and be the hero and leader. Maybe a little too soon for his own good and ready. Another character is Gordon. He is getting heat from the boss about this vigilante running the streets of Gotham instead of the police force. Gordon really wants Harvey to succeed so that was Batman can quit and let Harvey run the good of Gotham. And finally the mob as a whole is obsessed with running Gotham and overall control. This is why they hired the Joker so that they could resume their crime and business activities. The scene from the Joker shows he is obsessed with Batman and evil. Overall, almost all the characters are overly committed to the success of their own side. Good vs. Evil.
In the next film Singing in the Rain, Don Lockwood can very easily be called obsessed. His constant dedication for his career and image makes him oblivious to the problems of his personal life. An example of this could be where he meets the girl that he crushes on, Kathy Selden. When he first meets her she has no idea who he is, or she claims she doesn't. He is upset and shocked that someone doesn't know him or his career. Here's some proof. She starts explaining why she thinks he doesn't have a real occupation. He gets really offended and defensive. A case could also be made for him being obsessed with trying to give Kathy a chance. He risks a lot try and give Kathy a chance to be famous. He risks his relationship with her. He risks his job with the R.F. He throws Lina under the bus, some say rightfully so. He is going to great lengths to try and get Kathy in talkies and her to be recognized as true talent to everybody.
In the literary production Proof, Catherine and her father are both working very intensely on trying to get back into the Mathematical fray. Her father is so over committed to trying to get back to being on top of the math world with a new proof to prove that he is still mentally stable and intelligent. Unfortunately, this causes him to get so wrapped up in this proof, when Catherine reads it to him he realizes he is crazy and will never get better. On the flip side though, I think Catherine is so obsessed with trying to get him better that she subjects him to the false hope of recover. I think this accelerates his mental deterioration. I also think that Claire is a little to committed and focused on taking Catherine away from Chicago. In the end, I feel that the only character that wasn't obsessed was Hal. I feel he was legitimately interested in Catherine and in proving she did write the proof.
In another film, High Noon a strong argument could be made that Kane is obsessed with the job of marshal. Due to the fact that many people don't want him to stay around and cause the fight that Miller was bringing. I know it isn't the best production, however this is the only one i could find. This shows the town is split on whether or not they will help Kane. I believe this shows that Kane is all on his own by a result of his own actions and over commitment. Even his wife forsakes him....or at least we are led to believe so. I think this can very easily be turned into him being obsessed. I personally don't believe he is obsessed. I think he is doing it because no one else will. The town says there is a new marshal coming but I think Kane knows that the marshal won't be there until tomorrow and that's too long. I think if there was the new marshal there that day then Kane would have gladly let him do it but since there isn't he feels obligated to keep the town safe. This shows commitment not obsession in my opinion. I think that commitment turns to obsession when someone can't turn away from it and that is all he/she thinks about. I think that Kane was constipating other things other than Frank Miller. Like his wife, future, and what he was going to do next. I think this shows he is just committed not obsessed.
In the last film the Prestige I think there is a clear indication on both sides that both Borden and Angier were obsessed. I feel that when Angier buried Freddy I think he is fully obsessed and committed to figuring out Borden at ANY costs. I think this is also the point where Borden makes the decision to make Angier one of his sole focuses in life. I think when Borden reacts to Angier burring his brother I feel is the beginning of his obsession as well. When Angier is willing to spend as much money and time as he needs to figure out Borden's trick I feel is the ultimate indicator of his obsession. Another clear indicator of Angier's obsession is when he is willing to allow a copy of himself to die every time Angier does his trick. I think this shows his willingness to sacrifice human life in order to prove himself better than Borden. I think the fact that Alfred and his brother Freddy were willing to cut off the others fingers so that they can perform ONE magic trick is insane and should be a clear factor is determining someone's obsession. And the fact that each brother was willing to be with each other's significant other is pretty weird and should be another screaming indicator of their obsession. I think the final indicator is the scene where Borden is yelling at his brother to figure out how Angier does the trick. I think the look in his eyes and his intensity proves how overly committed and obsessed he truly was.
So in the end there are many reason and many movies that try and test how far the boundaries extend to being committed or obsessed? There were only five movies I showed examples of which were the Dark Knight, Singing in the Rain, Proof, High Noon, and the Prestige. I bet there are more movies that have some sort of hiding questioning of this theme than you realize. How many more can you find?
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