A cult-centric popstar thriller that quickly falls apart, Mark Anthony Green’s debut feature, Opus, features hints of ideas about journalism and celebrity that never fully come to the fore. A tale of a music writer attending the listening party of a long-awaited return album from an ‘80s mega star who’s been in hiding for the past two decades, the film’s supposed eeriness is marred by dramatic disconnect. Even its basics are hard to follow, when tracking them should be the easiest thing in the world.
As a former GQ columnist, Green brings occasional insight to magazine newsroom politics. However, the rest of his story is visually and narratively malformed. The performances are mostly enjoyable, especially John Malkovich as the aforementioned returning glam rock idol, but they end up in service of a deeply confused movie that has little, if anything, to say.
What is Opus about?
Credit: Anna Kooris / A24
An early scene in the film, a casual lunch date between novice music writer Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) and her long-time friend Kent (Young Mazino), establishes core tenets about the former’s character. She’s talented but withheld, never letting anyone close to her as she guards a persona she fears is unremarkable and middle-of-the-road. Unfortunately, neither Kent nor this entire emotional setup ends up factoring into the movie in the slightest, which quickly moves on to its tale of an icon’s surprise return after decades away.
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