A post-apocalyptic rock opera led by Stranger Things breakout Sadie Sink? What could possibly go wrong? Certainly writer/director Jeremy Gasper brings a unique visual style to the bright extravaganza of muchness that is O’Dessa. Unfortunately, almost none of it works, save for maybe the silky-smooth vocals of Sink. In the strange other-world of this quirky SXSW title, Gasper imagines that most of humanity has been brainwashed by wacky overlord, Plutonovich (Murray Batlett, Looking, The White Lotus). One of civilization’s final outposts, known as Satylite City, suggests little hope outside its bizarro television game shows. In a world consisting mostly of a wasteland, how are there randomly television sets with working electricity scattered about? Perhaps an ancient mountain prophecy could hold the answers; perhaps not. Completely all over the place but containing a definite manic energy, O’Dessa provides a fun vehicle for Sadie Sink, and not much else.
O’Dessa (Sink, The Whale, Fear Street: 1978) lives on a lone ranch with her dying mother. Her “rambler” of a father died long ago, imparting upon O’Dessa that she’s the prophesied “seventh son” that will lead them to salvation with her mighty guitar. She longs to be out traveling, croning to a stylized scarecrow that she wishes she was “out there on that road.” After her mother also passes, O’Dessa becomes a rambler herself, singing to lift others’ spirits through song. She comes upon a junkyard full of people who once knew her father; they celebrate with O’Dessa deep into the night, readying to leave for Satylite City in the morning. They make off with O’Dessa’s prized guitar, changing the trajectory of her life as she leaves home after them.
From here, O’Dessa transforms into something of a riff on The Wizard of Oz. O’Dessa travels across a desolate landscape, interacting with strange psychos obsessed with Plutonovich and his surreal life-or-death gameshows and garish plasma “facejobs.” She falls in love with an eccentric, fluidly sexual singer named Euri (Kelvin Harrison, Jr., It Comes At Night, Chevalier), in a manner of minutes. Gasper relies on this relationship working, but it was hard to buy any of their union as believable. This can probably be blamed expressly on a lack of chemistry or underwritten characters—neither actor does a bad job, but together their relationship was simply a shrug.
The villains fare only slightly better, in spite of excellent actors portraying them. As the taser-fisted Neon Dion, Regina Hall (Scary Movie, Girl’s Trip) all but steals the show. Too bad we do not get nearly enough of her. She lords over Euri and acts as an emcee of sorts in a local club, providing an avenue for O’Dessa to perform using a makeshift guitar. Plutonovich only becomes a serious threat in the final act, making him feel especially underdeveloped. Despite him apparently holding control over much of the population, nothing about his program explains any of the effects it holds over people.
Can using only one guitar string elicit the sounds of a full band and bass guitar? O’Dessa does not seem to exist on a plane of realism. Not even the world-building works, since the actual world is riddled with inconsistencies and tonal curiosities. A whole lot of rambling about ramblers and destiny and prophecy, yet we never explore where this prophecy came from, or why it exists. Also nonexistent: any attempt to explain what actually happened to make this place so allegedly “poisoned,” or how Plutonovich rose to power. None of these characters are more than simple caricatures. As for the music itself, the lyrics are hollow and repetitive, yet somewhat engaging when compared to the rest of the package. As a rock opera, O’Dessa leaves much to be desired, resting on chosen one tropes and fickle attempts at messaging. Not even Sadie Sink’s undeniable starpower can manage to power through the predictability.
Embrace the destiny of O’Dessa, rocking onto Hulu on Thursday, March 20th.
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