The term "cult classic" has come to mean nothing in the modern age, when just about anything can be found online. Yet O'Dessa, a rock musical about destiny, defiance, and dictatorship, feels like it could have become a true cult classic — not just a movie that finds a fandom, but the kind of oddball cinema that would be so clung to by a group of movie misfits that it would be passed around on VHS like a treasured relic. And I can't think of anything more you might want from a rock musical but for it to sing out for the freaks and weirdos.
Written and directed by Geremy Jasper (Patti Cake$), O'Dessa begins on a barren farm, far from anything, where the title hero sings of the fate her father promised her. She is the Seventh Son, whose song on her heirloom six-string guitar is foretold to save the world from a ruthless tyrant, who wallows in wealth and attention while his people starve.
Bringing in shades of such queer gems as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Legend of Billie Jean, O'Dessa forges a genderfuck musical that's riveting, romantic, repulsive, and rocking in turns.
Sadie Sink shines as the rambler heroine of O'Dessa.
Described by her "dirt-farmer" mother as a "19 year old with stars in her eyes," O'Dessa's story begins in cliche. Played by Sink, this farm girl dreams of the big city and the culture and chaos it promises. Satylite City promises a chance to get on television and fulfill her fortune as a "rambler," like her dearly departed father. With her heirloom guitar and folk-country songs, she hopes to open hearts and change minds. But between her and greatness, she'll come across deceitful "train rats," uncaring pawn shop dealers, sneering brutes, and a sultry lounge singer in a fringed mask that's very Orville Peck. The last of these veers her path into one of romance, rescue, and revenge.
Flipping the gender expectations of such a story on its head, not only is the "Seventh Son" promised to be the hero of enlightenment a girl, without question, but also the beautiful and tragic singer, whose body and song are on sale for survival, is played by a man. Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King, Cyrano) co-stars opposite Sink as Euri Dervish, whose dashing facade hides a tender heart eager for true love.
As teased in the trailer, the two fall for each other fast, finding love in a hopeless place, full of shadows and neon lighting. Even as they plan their nuptials, gender expectations are challenged, as she wears a rockabilly tuxedo and he favors a gown with a matching red veil. Stranger Things' Sink is enchanting as the androgynous busker, while Harris is beguiling as her wounded but warm-hearted lover. But the freedom to love as you like is challenged in Satylite City, which is ruled by an iron fist, or more specifically an electrified one.
Regina Hall creates an epic villainess in O'Dessa.
Reigning high over all the residents of Satylite City is the ever-beaming dictator Plutonovich (The Last of Us' Murray Bartlett). With outrageous (but empty) promises and a constant TV broadcast of himself, he mesmerizes the masses into complacency, even as the world falls to ruin around them. If anyone dares speak out against his narcissistic tyranny, they'll get knocked down by his enforcer, Neon Dion (Regina Hall), who brandishes brass knuckles that carry the electrical charge of a Taser in their punch.
Hall has long been a chameleon who can gracefully leap from outrageous comedies like Girls Trip to heartfelt dramedies like Support The Girls to the chilling suspense of The Master. In O'Dessa, the rightfully acclaimed actress seems to be channeling Grace Jones in a rockin' '80s New Wave/punk style with an exciting don't-fuck-with-me attitude. Wearing sharp-shouldered leather and bangs so blunt they could smash through concrete, Hall's stare is leveling as she takes in Neon Dion's prey. Her physicality is purposeful, and intimidating. Even a limp informed by her character’s tragic backstory only makes her seem harder. Her villainy should make us hate her, but she's so fashionable and thrilling that we could never hate her.
She is a vision of things both terrible and enticing, bringing with her swagger and fury a wealth of world-building beyond the expensive and vivid production design. And in this, Hall plays a clever foil to Plutonovich, with his large lying smile and the jubilant energy of a supercharged reality TV show host. Together, these two performances create a villainy landscape that is intoxicating enough for viewers to understand why so many in Satylite City have fallen into its allure, but toxic enough to crave its undoing.
O'Dessa's soundtrack is largely spectacular.
Many characters will sing across this tale, but Sink is the frontman. Her O'Dessa experiences the edgy glow-up of a country girl gone rock 'n' roll. Her songs shift accordingly moving away from folksy country melodies to more provocative guitar playing and subject matter. Harrison oozes with sex appeal and steamy songs catered to nightclub audiences. And with each of these, the world of O'Dessa grows richer more riveting. However, when it comes to the heroine's big moment and the song that will change the world. I was admittedly let down.
In Rocky Horror, the climactic "I'm Going Home" is a song delivered by a malevolent misfit, and yet it's so gloriously emotional and strange that you can’t help feeling for Frank even as he gets his final comeuppance. O'Dessa is not that daring. It is the heroic O'Dessa who will get the final song, and hers — while earnestly performed — just doesn’t feel like a finale. There's a lack of energy or perhaps panache that left me yearning for something more in line with Pat Benatar's "Invincible," the anthem for The Legend of Billie Jean, another movie where a resilient teen girl was all that stood between corrupt authority and the truth. O'Dessa's style transformation mirrors Billie Jean's, shifting from long girlish locks that men and mothers adore to a defiantly short and edgy wet look with a rocker garb to match. So, I simply expected more from O'Dessa's climactic number.
Still, along the way Jasper paves O’Dessa’s path with treasures. Most of the music is delicious as it transitions from country to rock to funk and beyond. The vivid color palette paints a world of surreal pollution and blazing beauty. The performances not only from the leads but also the likes of circus-performing bit players and character actor Mark Boone Junior add texture with each flickering moment of magic and menace. Rather than a glossy aesthetic, Jasper knowingly embraces the grubby, with dirt and glitter giving the film a queer punk energy that infuses each moment with spontaneity and potential.
For all these reasons, O’Dessa feels less like a new movie and more like an old lost gem, finally uncovered. It’s an intoxicating pastiche of color and sound, joy and pain. Admittedly, Jasper's choice to keep the impact of the most gruesome violence offscreen, implied over shown, might undercut the underground aesthetic. But overall, O’Dessa is an exhilaratingly strange and sensational rock musical, studded by powerful screen presences and topped off with scads of WTF flare.
O'Dessa was reviewed out of the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. The Searchlight Pictures release will debut on Hulu on March 20.
