O Movie Review

[Side note; I didn't proof read this because my brain feels like it's going to explode ... and there are probably typos and dumb sounding sentences ... enjoy~!]

Goodbye Cyprus war-fields, hello high school! The cinematic masterpiece, O, (the movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello) finds Shakespeare’s original characters modernized and thrust into teenage lives complete with romance, basketball, and drama. This film is parallel to the original Shakespearean work, adding some extreme violence and even more extremely mature situations. Gun use is one of the main reasons why the film’s debut was pushed back so far – in the wake of the Columbine tragedy, it was too raw and too soon for the film to be seen by the public. Nevertheless, the film finally debuted and has received mixed reviews by several critics. 

The title character, O, called Odin in the movie, is a young black man, a basketball star on scholarship playing for the Hawks, his all-white school’s team. He is the mirror of Othello, the war commander from Venice in the original story. In the film, the character is younger and an athlete instead of a war veteran. O is the star of the team and seems to be liked by everyone around him. He is in love with a white girl called Desi, the coach’s daughter and the love interest of seemingly many boys. Her affections lie with O, of course, much to the dismay of certain others, especially Hugo. It is this love that is chronicled throughout the film, and it is this love that drives Hugo crazy enough to murder several people. 

Character wise, the movie is packed with characters almost identical to those in Shakespeare’s original work. Hugo, Odin’s supposed best friend, is identical to Iago, the scheming mastermind. In both the movie and the play, this character feeds on Odin/Othello’s desire to keep his one true love and sabotaging it, crushing it and ultimately influencing and persuading him to commit unspeakable crimes. Hugo is helped along by his friends Emily (parallel to Emilia) and Roger (parallel to Roderigo). Just as in the play, Hugo creates a master plan and enlists the help of his friends to take down the object of his wrath. 

The film preys on the emotions of the audience with its twists and turns. Take for example the motel scene that takes place between O and Desi. Nowhere in the original play do the characters make love, but Othello does slap Desdemona, injuring her pride more than anything. This is shaken up and crafted into a love scene in the movie, which ultimately results in the rape of Desi when she tells O to stop and he does not. This metaphorically slaps her in her pride, just as he physically harms her. The pain she feels from this is enough to make the viewers’ hearts heavy. And it’s an all too real part of society that light is cast upon in the movie, making it even realer for some viewers. 

Speaking of scenes that prey on emotions, the entire film is chalked full of them. From the very beginning to the end, the viewer feels like they are part of the school and that they are part of everything that happens. They get to feel the heart-wrenching agony of watching a good relationship crumble and get ripped to shreds simply because of a personal grudge. They get to see the inner workings of Hugo’s mind, the mind that conspires to kill and feel no remorse whatsoever about it. 

The final scene of the movie is the most enticing part, the part that will probably draw in more viewers. Hugo has a rather long soliloquy that is capable of sending chills down just about anyone’s spine. His final words are reminiscent of bitterness; he has just committed unspeakable crimes and is being hauled away in a police car, but vows that one day people will see and understand him. If a cold hearted, murderous, angry man isn’t spine tingling, I don’t know what is!

To put it simply, O is almost identical to Othello, with several twists and turns added in for dramatic effect. Things such as making the characters teenagers, adding in angst and mature sexual content, and drug and alcohol use make this film relatable and hard hitting for actual teenagers. Modernizing the play into this film makes it feel much more realistic for the viewers; they get to live – and die – along with the characters and accompany them on the roller coaster thrill rides that their lives become. O is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and hanging on each and every word, just waiting for more to come.