A cult-centric popstar thriller that rapidly falls aside, Mark Anthony Inexperienced’s debut characteristic, Opus, options hints of concepts about journalism and celeb that by no means absolutely come to the fore. A story of a music author attending the listening celebration of a long-awaited return album from an ‘80s mega star who’s been in hiding for the previous 20 years, the movie’s supposed eeriness is marred by dramatic disconnect. Even its fundamentals are exhausting to comply with, when monitoring them ought to be the best factor on the planet.
As a former GQ columnist, Inexperienced brings occasional perception to journal newsroom politics. Nevertheless, the remainder of his story is visually and narratively malformed. The performances are principally pleasurable, particularly John Malkovich because the aforementioned returning glam rock idol, however they find yourself in service of a deeply confused film that has little, if something, to say.
What’s Opus about?
Credit score: Anna Kooris / A24
An early scene within the movie, an off-the-cuff lunch date between novice music author Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) and her long-time pal Kent (Younger Mazino), establishes core tenets in regards to the former’s character. She’s gifted however withheld, by no means letting anybody near her as she guards a persona she fears is unremarkable and middle-of-the-road. Sadly, neither Kent nor this complete emotional setup finally ends up factoring into the film within the slightest, which rapidly strikes on to its story of an icon’s shock return after many years away.
The character dynamic that basically issues is Ariel, a Black lady, being overshadowed and dismissed by her smiling, white male boss Stan (Murray Bartlett), particularly when the 2 of them are amongst a choose handful invited to go to the remoted ranch of the returning Moretti (Malkovich), a pop icon whose stature the movie portrays in amusing methods. After his comeback album is introduced in a YouTube video by his long-time publicist (Tony Hale), the singer’s historical past is neatly condensed for us within the type of a globe-spanning montage celebrating his return, made up of stories tales and social media posts which closely heart his posters, well-known bobbleheads and different worthwhile memorabilia. This makes his presence — and actually, his absence — really feel tactile. All of this set to his iconic ‘80s dance ballad, “Dina Simone,” a fictitious earworm sung by Malkovich himself. It’s not exhausting to see why he was as soon as so beloved.
Alongside paparazzo Bianca (Melissa Chambers), influencer Emily (Stephanie Suganami), speak present host Clara (Juliette Lewis) and former music rival Invoice (Mark Sivertsen), Ariel and Stan obtain invitations by courier, after which they’re flown out to a nondescript desert, then bussed 50 miles to Moretti’s sprawling, gated compound, house to a creativity-worshipping religion generally known as the Levelists. Half spa, half Jonestown, and half Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, the dustbowl getaway is populated by acolytes of varied ages all wearing navy blue robes. This cult-like group serves at Moretti’s beck and name, with actors like Amber Midthunder and Tatanka Means handing the friends strict directions on the weekend’s actions — a dinner, a therapeutic massage, nothing too out of the extraordinary — whereas youthful, pre-teen members of the pseudo-religious fanhood interact in portray and different arts and crafts.
The arrival journos are additionally stripped of their electronics to “preserve the integrity of the experience,” one in every of a number of purple flags that solely Ariel appears attuned to. Nevertheless, as members of their group go lacking one after the other, the movie’s framing of those supposedly unusual occasions doesn’t fairly serve this Get Out-esque narrative, during which solely Ariel sees by means of the Matrix-code of Moretti’s constructed actuality.
The cult saga in Opus is visually malformed.
Credit score: Anna Kooris / A24
The most important flaw within the movie’s building is the blurry boundary between what the digital camera sees and what Ariel notices. Instructed by Stan to take notes when she ought to be writing her personal article, Ariel isn’t blinded by Moretti’s celeb and jots down her observations on the encircling sycophancy. Nevertheless, what she finds off-putting is, as a rule, the results of mere quirks that the opposite friends aren’t essentially fallacious to dismiss, whereas any doubts in regards to the group’s security come up by means of info solely the viewers is given. And but, regardless of this disconnect, we’re anticipated to spend money on Ariel’s makes an attempt to persuade Stan and the others that one thing unusual is afoot; we all know that she’s proper, however she has little cause to consider the issues she’s saying, so it may possibly’t assist however really feel like crying wolf.
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There are actually unusual happenings within the film’s margins, á la Ari Aster’s Midsommar, however relatively than the movie’s protagonist being slowly drawn right into a thriller, or discerning oddities nobody else sees, the cult’s extra disconcerting conduct is seen solely to the digital camera, and thus to the viewers, however not Ariel. Typically it’s not even clear what, if something, she truly sees even when confronted with disturbing revelations (just like the destiny of a fellow visitor), owing to off-kilter visible framing and modifying that yanks us away from the motion far too rapidly. Whereas rightly she notes the Levelists’ beliefs as out of the extraordinary — they worship creativity above all else, and take into account it divine — the premise as seen by means of her eyes isn’t fairly unnerving.
The film’s aesthetic shortcomings pile up the additional it goes on. Every visitor is chaperoned across the compound by a selected cult member, and when skirmishes come up between Ariel and her assigned Levelist, a complete battle scene unfolds off display screen. Not lengthy after, a chase scene on ATVs hops and skips round in time and area, as if the manufacturing had both didn’t shoot sufficient footage for these moments, or they needed to be someway rescued within the edit, and this was the absolute best final result. It’s weird to observe, given how incomplete the film feels, and the way it obscures the one tenet that should be central to a narrative equivalent to this: the managed reveal of data.
Opus has no larger image.
Credit score: Anna Kooris / A24
The failings within the movie’s moment-to-moment building go hand-in-hand with its lack of a macro viewpoint. The movie is, on its floor, akin to Mark Mylod’s The Menu, whereby individuals semi-related to the world of a famend artist (Ralph Fiennes’ connoisseur chef Julian Slowik) are drawn into an elaborate collection of video games or traps stemming from his warped worldview. Whereas Opus pulls again its curtains in a lot the identical approach, what it reveals is shockingly empty.
Malkovich provides enigmatic layers to Moretti as greatest he can — the actor seems to have had enjoyable within the position — however at no level does the character look like he has any sort of coherent plan or outlook. When hurt inevitably involves the friends, it typically appears random and coincidental, and when it’s time for Moretti to precise his twisted reasoning, the result’s a collection of lengthy, drawn-out monologues that hardly connect with the occasions as they unfold on display screen. All of this makes you ask: What’s Opus even about?
There are, from time to time, hints of racial subtext — the skilled dynamic between Ariel and Stan is real looking and acquainted — however none of this extends to the bigger premise, given the cult’s multiracial make-up. Moretti could also be an esoteric determine, however even his late-era-Kanye musings on genius and celeb really feel distinctly extraordinary. No real-world aspect within the movie is ever magnified sufficient to operate as satire, leaving Opus in a lukewarm center floor, the place concepts by no means evolve, and character drama seldom extends past what somebody (normally Ariel) observes or experiences in-the-moment.
The true tragedy right here is that the premise of Opus has potential. The world of celeb worship is fertile floor for a story of non secular fervor, and Edebiri has the sort of frank, matter-of-fact timing that feels tailored for emphasizing the weird. Nevertheless, the movie’s scattered items by no means enable even its minor strengths to enter the highlight for too lengthy. The little that works finally ends up shackled by awful, scattershot filmmaking that saps the film of all rigidity, perception, and enjoyable.
UPDATE: Mar. 13, 2025, 2:08 p.m. EDT “Opus” was first reviewed out of the 2025 Sundance Movie Pageant. This overview was first revealed on Feb. 2, 2025, and has been up to date for its theatrical launch.
