2 weeks Ago By Kimberly Nhundu
*Warning: This article reveals plot spoilers for the movie Opus.* The trend of cult thrillers in Hollywood seems to have hit a snag, with Ayo Edebiri unfortunately caught in the middle. The emerging actress has spent over a decade demonstrating her ability to engage audiences, but Opus threatens to extinguish her glow in just over 90 minutes.
Penned and directed by newcomer Mark Anthony Green, the thriller features Edebiri as ambitious journalist Ariel Ecton, who is finding it hard to establish herself at a culture magazine. Her moment to shine arrives when music legend Alfred Moretti (played by John Malkovich) emerges from retirement and invites her, along with other journalists, to a remote compound, reports the Mirror . It's here at this vast estate that Ariel encounters the esteemed musician and uncovers his dark secret - he's leading a sinister cult.
You could be excused for feeling like you've seen this exact film before. Because, indeed, this narrative has been repeated over and over. Most recently, Zoë Kravitz took a stab at it in Blink Twice, which followed two best friends traveling to a private island where a tech tycoon operates a cult-like community.
While some viewers take issue with the recycled concept, I see no problem with it, given that the film in question can carve out its own identity in the sub-genre. Opus is no such film. Many viewers exiting the theater might view the thriller as a shaky imitation of Midsommar, Blink Twice, or even Jordan Peele's Get Out, and they wouldn't be wrong.
Across its 100 minutes, of which I felt every single second , the thriller presents various interesting ideas but none of them stick. It attempts to critique the cult of celebrity but doesn't seem to know exactly what it wants to say nor how to say it. This leaves the drama with way too much on its plate and not enough time to get through it all.
This issue becomes evident during the thriller's climax when Ariel finds herself bound to a chair on the verge of being indoctrinated into the cult. Fortunately for Ariel, one of Moretti's followers, Rachel (brilliantly portrayed by Tamera Tomakili), sets her free and provides her with an escape route. What motivates this brainwashed cult member to release Ariel? It's anyone's guess.
Before this scene, the duo share one distinct conversation, in which Rachel shaves Ariel's pubic hair because Moretti has a very specific preference. Of all the strange occurrences in this thriller, this was the only moment that genuinely sent a chill down my spine. Fast forward thirty or so minutes and Rachel suddenly decides that she will save Ariel.
Considering the two women are Black, a generous reading of this scene would conclude that it intends to shed light on race relations in the film's makeshift Hollywood. However, even if the thriller sought to make some analysis on race, it still fails to make a discernible statement. What does Rachel freeing Ariel mean for either character? We don't know.
This is an issue that crops up throughout the entire story; the filmmaker takes on ambitious topics but doesn't explore them in a captivating or coherent fashion. Considering the script's shaky execution, Edebiri firmly holds onto her acting chops. The Bear star captivates as the slightly awkward 27-year-old, who is struggling to find her place in the world of celebrity.
Her performance is particularly enhanced by acting opposite Malkovich, who also steals the show as the flamboyant and utterly tone-deaf pop divo. Unfortunately for the actress, I didn't care much for her character's fate because the film didn't give her any chilling stakes. Even when she finally flees the compound, all I could think about was when the credits would start to roll.
Thanks to its capable cast and at-times stunning cinematography, Opus is not a bad film. However, even Edebiri, with all of her experience in The Bear's brutal kitchen, could not whip it into anything remotely palatable. Opus is in cinemas now.
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