O'Dessa
{{Short description|2025 film by Geremy Jasper}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| image = ODesa film poster.jpg
| caption = Release poster
| director = Geremy Jasper
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Michael Gottwald
- Noah Stahl
}}
| writer = Geremy Jasper
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| cinematography = Rina Yang
| editing = {{Plainlist|
- Jay Rabinowitz
- Jane Rizzo
}}
| music = {{idp|
- Geremy Jasper
- Jason Binnick (songs and music)
}}
| studio = {{idp|
- Department of Motion Pictures
- RT Features
}}
| distributor = Searchlight Pictures (through Hulu)
| released = {{Film date|2025|3|8|SXSW|2025|3|20|United States}}
| runtime = 106 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
}}
O'Dessa is a 2025 American post-apocalyptic musical drama film written and directed by Geremy Jasper that retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It stars Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, and Regina Hall.{{Cite web |last=Rudoy |first=Matthew |date=2025-03-20 |title=O'Dessa Cast & Character Guide |url=https://screenrant.com/odessa-movie-cast-characters/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}} The film was released by Searchlight Pictures through Hulu on March 20, 2025.{{Cite web |last=P |first=Maddie |date=2025-03-20 |title=When Is 'O'Dessa' Streaming? How To Watch Sadie Sink's Punk Rock Musical |url=https://collider.com/odessa-sadie-sink-streaming-hulu/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Collider |language=en}}
Plot
O'Dessa is set in a post-apocalyptic future where plazma, a toxic, flammable substance similar to oil, has poisoned the landscape. Media mogul Plutonovich rules the airwaves from "Onderworld", a private island where dissenters are tortured and killed for entertainment of the masses, but whoever wins the competition is deemed "The One" and will have a wish granted as a reward.
O'Dessa, seventh in a line of wandering "ramblers", inherits her father's guitar after her mother's passing and heads to the dangerous Satylite City to find her destiny. On the way, her guitar is stolen and pawned off. She sets off on a quest to return it, and as she does, she meets Euri Dervish, a musician and sex worker for the brutal Neon Dion, Plutonovich's main enforcer. O'Dessa and Euri fall in love and plan to run away to the safe city of Enid, but Dion catches them and threatens them both.
Euri steals enough money from Dion to buy O'Dessa's guitar back and tells her to leave for Enid without him, while an incensed Dion cuts off O'Dessa's ring finger as a threat before dying in a confrontation. O'Dessa and Euri plan to marry, but when Euri insults Plutonovich during a concert, he is shipped off to Onederworld and forced to dance for his life. O'Dessa travels there to rescue him and sings before Plutonovich and his court, successfully becoming "The One" despite all of her guitar's strings but one being clipped. She wishes for Euri back, which is granted, but Plutonovich has given him a mind-altering "face job" that has left him brain-dead. O'Dessa sets her guitar on fire and destroys Plutonovich's plazma-powered media network, killing herself, Euri, and Plutonovich himself and freeing the masses from his control. As the film ends, plazma begins to fade from the landscape and the citizens vow to remember O'Dessa, spreading her music and message of hope.{{Cite web |last=Ortiz |first=Andi |date=2025-03-20 |title=Where to Watch 'O'Dessa': Is Sadie Sink's New Movie Streaming? |url=https://www.thewrap.com/where-to-watch-odessa-new-sadie-sink-movie-streaming/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}
Cast
- Sadie Sink as O'Dessa Galloway
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Euri Dervish
- Murray Bartlett as Plutonovich
- Regina Hall as Neon Dion
- Mark Boone Junior as Father Walter
- Bree Elrod as Calliope Galloway
- Pokey LaFarge as Vergil Galloway
- Marinko Prga as Vulturo
Production
In January 2023, Searchlight Pictures was developing a post-apocalyptic musical drama film written and directed by Geremy Jasper, with Sadie Sink in the lead role.{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |title=Sadie Sink To Star In Geremy Jasper's Rock Opera 'O'Dessa' For Searchlight Pictures |url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/sadie-sink-geremy-jasper-odessa-searchlight-1235224748/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 17, 2024 |date=January 17, 2023}} In April, Regina Hall, Pokey LaFarge, and Murray Bartlett joined the cast.{{cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |title=Searchlight Pictures' Rock Opera 'O'Dessa' Adds Regina Hall |url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/regina-hall-joins-odessa-movie-searchlight-pictures-1235318621/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 17, 2024 |date=April 5, 2023}}{{cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Matt |title=Sadie Sink Rock Opera 'O'Dessa' Adds Kelly Macdonald, Pokey LaFarge (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/sadie-sink-rock-opera-kelly-macdonald-pokey-lafarge-1235589839/ |website=Variety |access-date=October 17, 2024 |date=April 20, 2023}} Principal photography began in May 2023, in Croatia.
Release
O'Dessa had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 8, 2025.{{cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |title=Seth Rogen Comedy Series 'The Studio' To Open SXSW 2025; 'The Accountant 2,' 'Death Of A Unicorn', 'Drop,' 'Happy Face' & More Also To Screen |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/sxsw-2025-lineup-the-studio-death-of-a-unicorn-more-1236263538/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=January 22, 2025 |date=January 22, 2025}} It was released by Searchlight Pictures through Hulu on March 20, 2025.{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |title='O'Dessa' Trailer: Sadie Sink Leads a Rock Opera Revolution in Hulu's Post-Apocalyptic Musical |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/trailers/odessa-trailer-sadie-sink-musical-hulu-1236306076/ |website=Variety |access-date=February 13, 2025 |date=February 13, 2025}}
Reception
= Viewership =
JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 45 million users around the world, reported that O'Dessa was in the top five most-streamed films in the U.S. from March 17–30.{{Cite web |last=Gruenwedel |first=Erik |date=March 25, 2025 |title=JustWatch: Oscar-Winning 'Anora,' Netflix's 'Adolescence' Top Weekly Streaming Through March 23 |url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/justwatch-oscar-winning-anora-netflixs-adolescence-top-weekly-streaming-through-march-23/ |access-date=March 26, 2025 |website=Media Play News}}{{Cite web |last=Gruenwedel |first=Erik |date=April 1, 2025 |title=JustWatch: Oscar-Nominated 'A Complete Unknown,' Comedy Series 'The Studio' Top Weekly Streaming Through March 30 |url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/justwatch-oscar-nominated-a-complete-unknown-the-studio-top-weekly-streaming-through-march-30/ |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=Media Play News}}
=Critical response=
{{RT prose|38|4.7|47|ref=y}}
Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times said O'Dessa is a bold and intriguing musical, praised its energetic style, and found Sadie Sink's performance solid, especially her singing. She stated that the film's postapocalyptic setting was creative but noted that its mix of elements sometimes felt uneven. Vincentelli appreciated the movie's music, highlighting its blend of emo Americana and power ballads, and found Regina Hall's performance as a flamboyant villain especially entertaining.{{Cite news |last=Vincentelli |first=Elisabeth |date=2025-03-20 |title='O'Dessa' Review: One Song to Save Them All |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/movies/odessa-review-sadie-sink.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Kristy Puchko of Mashable praised O'Dessa as a gender-bending, visually vibrant rock musical with a rebellious spirit. She highlighted Sink's performance as the androgynous heroine and Kelvin Harrison Jr.'s role as her romantic counterpart, noting the film's playful subversion of gender expectations. Puchko was particularly impressed by Hall's character and the movie's blend of surreal production design and punk energy. While she found most of the soundtrack spectacular, she felt the climatic song lacked the power and boldness needed to deliver a truly unforgettable finale.{{Cite web |last=Puchko |first=Kristy |date=2025-03-20 |title='O'Dessa' review: Sadie Sink sings in bonkers queer rock musical |url=https://mashable.com/article/odessa-review |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Mashable |language=en}}
William Bibbiani of TheWrap complimented O'Dessa
References
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