“O’Dessa” is a post-apocalyptic musical directed by Geremy Jasper which was released on Hulu on March 20. The film has not been receiving great reviews, gaining a 40% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics and audiences have criticized the film for falling into dystopian clichés and for having a weak second half of the movie.
The film is a dystopian retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version, O’Dessa (portrayed by Sadie Sink) is a rambler, someone who goes from city to city singing songs. However, she ends up in a city run by Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett), an autocratic ruler who broadcasts disturbing game shows to the city’s residents, which leaves them glued lifelessly to their screens. O’Dessa meets the love of her life, Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), but must go on a perilous journey to save him from Plutonovich’s twisted game show with the power of her music.
While this film has strong technical qualities, it fails to connect with the viewer, and it does a big disservice to the original Greek mythology.
“O’Dessa” is undeniably a feast for the eyes. The film captures a distinctive visual style very effectively that makes the film more engaging to watch. I think this movie has some of the coolest uses of lighting and color I’ve ever seen.
Every scene was beautiful and lively, giving the film its over-the-top, almost punk rock aesthetic, that helps it stand out. I also found the film’s sets and costumes to be impressive and they definitely helped bring the dystopian world to life.
However, this movie went wrong basically everywhere else. The original story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of my favorite pieces of Greek mythology as it is such a beautiful tale that explores love, loss and trust. I’ve seen quite a few iterations of this myth that have worked very well and bring the story to life effectively while also putting new spins on it like the stage musical “Hadestown” and the short-lived Netflix show “Kaos.”
This movie essentially took all of the best elements of the original myth and threw them in the trash.
I must say I really enjoyed the idea of a genderbent version of the tale, this film consistently puts a spin on traditional femininity and masculinity. This change works really well for O’Dessa, the Orpheus character. However, I think it wasn’t as effective with Euri, the Eurydice character. Euri’s character didn’t really feel authentic to the original Eurydice character. Also, the two main characters had absolutely no chemistry together, which made the whole film fall flat as it centers on their love for each other.
Another issue I had with the film is that it didn’t include the most iconic part of the original story where Orpheus and Eurydice must make the trek back from the Underworld, only Orpheus cannot look back to ensure that Eurydice is still following him. But of course, in the Greek myth, he looks back at the very last moment only to find that she was still right behind him, so she gets dragged back to the Underworld. I think that this is where the whole point and message of the myth lies, holding both the beauty and heartbreak of the entire story, and yet crucial ending is absent from the film.
While the grassroot folk music throughout the film was enjoyable, none of the songs actually move the plot forward. Most of them would recount events or feelings characters were going through that we already knew about or had seen in a scene previously. This meant that every time a song came on, it slowed down the pacing and made the film less engaging.
In the original myth, Orpheus was able to create springtime simply by the power of her singing, and in the movie, O’Dessa was supposed to defeat an evil dictator with the power of her song. The songs from O’Dessa were pleasant, but they don’t hold the power that actually makes the audience believe that these songs could save the world. I think this especially becomes evident if you compare it to the music in “Hadestown,” which does a better job of actually moving the plot forward through music but also of having songs that move you and feel powerful.
The People’s Cooperative Market hosted a four-day event.
I do think this movie had an interesting concept of taking such an old myth and adapting it into something more futuristic and dystopian, however the film did a terrible job of building the world. It had such a strong and distinct visual style as well as a complex and interesting world, however, I wasn’t able to get into any of it as I spent most of the movie trying to better understand the world. I went through most of the film not feeling much at all, which is, ironically, quite similar to how the people in the film were mindlessly watching television the whole time.
The style of the film felt similar to the eye candy that is Baz Luhrmann’s work, only “O’Dessa” doesn’t have any of the heart or substance that his films do. So, while the film looks nice, the audience never actually connects with it.
I personally would not recommend this film, unless you really have nothing else to watch and are willing to put aside a weak plot for captivating visuals. It would be a better use of your time to wait for the “Hadestown” pro-shot to come out and watch that instead as I guarantee it will actually make you feel something, unlike “O’Dessa.”
