- Release year: 2025
- Director: Gerard Johnson.
- Producers: Isabel Freer, John Jencks, Patrick Tolan, and Matthew James Wilkinson.
- Screenplay by: Austin Collings and Gerard Johnson.
- Cinematography by: Korsshan Schlauer.
- Music by: Matt Johnson.
Synopsis: a realtor tries to save her failing business.
Shotgun Commentary: confusing, dense at times, insane around the end.
Review
Odyssey is the journey into madness and desperation of a woman (Polly Maberly). She is trying to save her business, despite her obvious shortcomings as a professional and as a person. If you are into strange films with suffocating atmospheres and a side of madness, you will certainly enjoy this.
A chaotic beginning
The movie begins with a few delicious shots of a tooth being pulled out. Now, if you don’t know what the film is about, that opening sequence certainly won’t clarify anything at all. Not only is it repulsive and uncomfortable to watch, but it also has no bearing or relation to any other part of the story whatsoever.
After the pointless gore, you are introduced into the actual story: a woman in a sinking real state agency who makes all the wrong moves in her attempts to stay afloat and keep her company relevant. This protagonist is anything but perfect, in fact, it could be argued that you are actually watching the story of a villain in the making. While the beginning shows a very charismatic woman and “cool” boss, once things begin to go wrong her true nature is exposed.
Is it evil, hypocrisy, or merely desperation? Well, the easy answer would be that it is a bit of everything, but mostly just selfishness. She begins to treat her workers like dirt, to lie to all her associates and potential business partners, and to get in to incredibly shady stuff. Why? Because she’s blowing all the money on… well, blow. Would her problems be resolved if she didn’t have a substance abuse and gambling problem? Probably, but alas, we’ll never know.
A pretty good development
The story explores how those society parasites you’ve heard of or might have had the misfortune of encountering exist. It is a complex web of lies and nerve that sustains their existence. However, once the people around them wake up and smell the coffee, their castle of lies begins to crumble and fall… Unless, that is, they happen to have an unknown contact that can magically provide a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Overall, this type of narrative might’ve been a great caution story about the dangers of gambling, lying and abusing illegal substances, but it decides to turn into an over-the-top action movie at the very end. Leaving you confused, disappointed, and weirdly satisfied?
A chaotic ending
The ending is a bloodbath that magically fixes everything and nothing at all. This could count as a spoiler, but honestly, it is about as coherent with the rest of the story as the initial tooth-ripping scene. No matter how much it is described in here, it will give you absolutely no clue of how or why this happens. It just is, and you have to be cool with that.
After a cacophony that is supposed to be a fight, way too much orange smoke, a continuity problem so obvious even yours truly –who never sees any continuity issues no matter how obvious– got shocked by it, and a lot of flashy, completely unnecessary stuff to fight a bunch of bad guys, you are finally allowed to go home. And that is the most satisfying moment of all: the realisation that you are finally allowed to go.
All in all, Odyssey surely had great intentions, but it ultimately delivers a half-cooked, barely coherent story. A tale whose identity is about as lost as its protagonist’s morality. It is a fun time if you feel like watching something chaotic but mostly aesthetically pleasing, but definitely something to skip if you’re hoping to catch a nice thriller. This is definitely not it.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never lend money to unreliable people or people you barely know.
- Never borrow money from people who could potentially kill you for owing them money.
- If your business is failing, gambling is not the right course of action.
What’s your take? Have you watched Odyssey? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀