O’Dessa is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for violent content, strong language, drug material, suggestive material and thematic content.
O’Dessa Movie Review & Ending Explained
Ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where music could save humanity… or if you’d survive a post-apocalyptic rock opera? O’Dessa, the latest film from Geremy Jasper (the mind behind Patti Cake$), is a wild, genre-blending ride that mixes fantasy, romance, and rebellion into one unforgettable story. Think Xanadu meets The Hunger Games, with a dash of surrealist flair and a killer soundtrack. It’s a film that dares to be different, and for the most part, it absolutely soars.
The story revolves around O’Dessa, a survivor who is traveling on her own in a dystopian world that is filled with the ruins of a once vibrant and prosperous civilization, and in which music has lost its meaning and purpose. O’Dessa isn’t just any drifter—she’s the last descendant of a legendary lineage known as the “Songbearers,” a family of musicians who once created music and sang songs that caused the world to resonate and hum and who songs foretold of a “Seventh Son” who would change the world using the “Willa,” the magical instrument. But life in O’Dessa, born in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, is not all rainbows and sparkles. With her mother dead and her father nowhere to be found, she has no one and nothing left but the Willa, the last connection to her family and their property.
When a group of criminals takes O’Dessa’s Willa, she must abandon her wandering lifestyle and go to Satylite City, an overcrowded metropolis of the near future, where orientation is regulated by propaganda. Gotham is a dark futuristic metropolis filled with opulence and ruin, violence and greed, corruption and vice, and music is used as a weapon. From here, we can trace O’Dessa’s transformation in a rather dramatic manner. She meets Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a charismatic performer who is both idolized and trapped within this reality. It’s a dark game show where Euri is the star of the show under the leadership of Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett), an eccentric dictator of Satylite City. The game show is aired to the masses, to force-feed them with the show so that they get distracted with the program instead of focusing on the conditions of their lives.
Despite their first meeting ending in an accidental kiss, O’Dessa and Euri share a chemistry like no other. Their first encounter is the kind of scene one can only see in romantic comedies; looking at each other across a crowded space, knowing that they are destined to be together. However, it is an increasingly complicated one. Euri resides in the hands of Neon Dion, a sadistic crime boss who works directly for Plutonovich and holds the key to “Onederworld,” a depraved world where the wealthiest individuals exist in opulence while everyone else endures their suffering. Neon Dion considers Euri her greatest asset and she will not lose him without a fight.
READ MORE: Death of a Unicorn Parents Guide
As O’Dessa and Euri develop a romantic relationship, both characters become representations of change in a world that so desperately needs it. O’Dessa and Euri are two of the most likeable main characters and their desire to change fate and to free Satylite city from the oppression of its leaders makes the readers feel inspired. But the road to rebellion is not for the faint of heart. There are infidelity, love loss, and chronic self-doubt, but also a dreamlike, musical backdrop of existence in this strange realm.
It’s energetic and dreamlike, complete with intense action scenes and musical components, akin to a rock opera. It’s a romantic drama with an element of comedy, it’s a coming-of-age story with an element of rebellion, and it’s not a movie without music – the music is also one of the main characters. This one is for people who like stories with elements of fantasy, music, and a bit of crazy dystopia.
The aspects that I believe work really well here are the performances. Sadie Sink, who I am very glad has gotten the role, delivers intensity and vulnerability as O’Dessa, the film’s reluctant protagonist. It’s an inspiring story of becoming from a lost, heartbroken traveler to a strong leader. First off, Kelvin Harrison Jr. is excellent as Euri, shifting from charismatic to vulnerable, with palpable chemistry with Sink. Regina Hall almost single-handedly chills and thrills in the menacing role of Neon Dion. Murray Bartlett plays the role of Plutonovich, and he nails the villain role down to a T: dashing yet sinister, sophisticated yet scary.
The visuals are also outstanding – picture a fusion of Mad Max and Max Headroom, with a dash of glam-rock. It is an example of true artistry in movie making, where the beauty of chaos, shadow, and light is juxtaposed with splendor and glamour. The movie feels effervescent throughout with Geremy Jasper as the director and smart editing. Oh, I can’t help but mention that the music in the film is, in my opinion, fantastic! Sadie Sink gives it her all vocally, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. starts his performance with a bang. There are plenty of catchy tunes that you will find yourself singing long after the end credits roll in. This is perhaps the role of music: it defines who O’Dessa is; it is the film’s entirety and its defining essence.
However, the film is not without its drawbacks either. Sometimes it is sluggish, and the plot could have been made more focused to maintain a steady tension. This is perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses of the show: the antagonists are really interesting, with Regina Hall’s Neon Dion being a particularly standout example, but they simply don’t get the time they need to grow or be fleshed out properly. It may have been interesting to learn more about what the other characters were up to and why besides merely following the two protagonists. Also, the aspect of queerness, as portrayed through O’Dessa’s butch appearance and Euri’s more feminine nature, is engaging though could have been styled more emphatically, especially during the wedding episode.
In conclusion, O’Dessa is a challenging, experimental movie that will appeal to anyone who is interested in dystopian adventures, rock opera, or a successful stir against the system. If you are a fan of films like Stranger Things or Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse for its action, emotion, and eccentricity, you’ll find this one enjoyable. So just be ready for some like slow scenes or something and maybe have the music for after the episode ready for listening.
O’Dessa Parents Guide
Violence & Intense Scenes: It is a post-apocalyptic movie, so there are many scenes that depict confusion, suppression, and brutality.
However, there are fight scenes that involve the use of bare fists, knives and gun pull, and some characters involved get wounded. While there is not much violence, some scenes may be disturbing for the younger audience.
What could be a gladiator-style game show, which involves characters fighting each other to prove who is still alive. Though cartoonish and exaggerated, the violence of these scenes may be disturbing.
There are different villains, those to beware of and avoid: Plutonovich and Neon Dion who rule through scare tactics.
Revolt is the prevailing undercurrent, culminating in dramatic clashes and dangerous predicaments.
Language: There may be occasional use of some mild to moderate profanity like the word ‘damn’ and hell and perhaps a few others.Profanity is used to express anger and gender inequality between characters, as well as name-calling.
Sexual Content & Romantic Themes: O’Dessa and Euri have a romantic storyline and they even share moments of kissing and other forms of physical contact. They have chemistry, but the movie has no scenes of passion.
There are sexual innuendos, references to a love triangle, and indications of extramarital affairs that could elicit a conversation about adulthood.
A few suggestive themes are seen in some musical shows, where characters can dress provokingly in a way that seems like a concert.
Living in Onederworld setting is portrayed as ostentatious with aspects alluding to materialism although nothing is depicted unabashedly shameful.
Substance Use: People in the dystopian city are shown drinking alcohol in bars and clubs.
Recreational drugs are alluded to in Underworld as being used by the industry, although real drug use is not depicted on the screen.
Some realistic scenes show characters looking like they are drugged or intoxicated, where it is not for substance use but for societal programming.
Director: Geremy Jasper
Writer: Geremy Jasper
Stars: Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall
Release date: March 20, 2025 (Hulu)
Rating: 6.7/10