O’Dessa: A Futuristic Tale of Love, Music, and Resistance

Bethany Hanson ‘28 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

O’dessa is a new movie that takes place in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic universe.. The neon colors dominate the visual aesthetic of the film, making it a beautiful watch. Along with the visuals, the movie includes serious topics, such as, prostitution and death. The main character, O’Dessa (Sadie Sink) embarks on a journey with nothing but her guitar to Satylite City, looking to fulfil her father’s legacy. The city is ruled by violence and entertainment by the antagonist Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett). 

Spoilers Ahead. 

The storytelling in this movie is very impactful due to the realistic take on this dark future the characters live in. Citizens are being brainwashed through a sort of hypnotic technology and strange substances. The people in Satylite City who aren’t affected are too petrified to rebel. It’s almost uncanny the way some of the characters change post brainwashing. O’Dessa features mature topics such as the prostitution of Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Euri is powerless at the hands of Dion (Regina Hall), who is one of Plutonovich’s strongest supporters. He is forced to perform and gets sold off to the highest bidders of each night. Death also plays a large role in this movie. O’Dessa’s father is dead and has left his legacy to her. She only takes the leap of faith to fulfill that legacy, once her mother dies as well. Her father had his cherished guitar which O’Dessa takes before embarking on her journey to Satylite City. The strong depictions of depth, and the gravity in which they handled the prostitution added to the impact of these plot lines. 

The music was a pivotal part of O’Dessa. The songs were catchy and powerful. But they also served as a way to bring people together. Half the city lives in constant fear of doing something to upset Plutonovich, while the other half supports him whether that is their choice or part of his brainwashing tactics. The impact of uniting the city and its people is an important message.

Watching the movie, I can understand why some people might not like the ending. However, it was still handled beautifully. To save Euri, O’Dessa competes in a competition that forces her to perform. Whichever performance gets the best audience reaction receives one wish from Platonovich. O’Dessa ultimately fails at this goal after learning Plutonovich lied to her about giving her Euri. He did give O’Dessa Euri, but this was after a significant amount of torture that Euri would never recover from. After O’Dessa learns this, she decides to obliterate the entire building where the performance takes place. This action destroys Plutonovich, Euri, many of Plutonovich’s supporters, and O’Dessa. This action was broadcast across the city and sparked the beginning of change, ultimately fulfilling O’Dessa’s legacy. 

This brings me to the pacing. The beginning felt slower than ideal. It took a good part of the movie for O’Dessa to get into the city. This made the ending feel more rushed. A lot of the most important parts felt shoved into such a short period of time. The ending wasn’t the only thing that felt rushed. Euri and O’Dessa’s relationship felt very fast. It is unclear how much time passes throughout the movie, but it doesn’t feel like a long time. Euri and O’Dessa were going to get married at one point until Plutonovich kidnapped Euri. Shortening the beginning could have made the movie feel more fleshed out. Another solution would be to cut the entire relationship as a whole. It felt rushed and out of place at times. I think the writers could have played it as a friendship or somehow tied Euri’s past to O’Dessa’s to establish a connection. It is hard to take down an entire dictatorship with meaningful characters and relationships in the span of a one hour and fourty five minute movie.

Overall, I enjoyed the message behind O’Dessa, and it handled serious topics quite well. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s an impactful watch with fantastic singing and a tragic ending that also births new beginnings.