After an astonishing premiere at Sundance in January, OPUS has finally hit theaters.
Billed as a horror film, OPUS is anything but traditional. It masterfully merges elements of dark comedy, drama, and psychological intensity in this provocative A24 feature.
In it, Ayo Edebiri stars as Ariel, a young journalist who finds herself among a select few invited to a private preview of a long-awaited project from a legendary pop star, Moretti (John Malkovich).
Like Ariel, audiences are initially intoxicated by the seductive, surreal experience curated by the biggest star alive, but things quickly take a turn for the terrifying. Masterful performances and mesmerizing visuals make OPUS the most satisfying and stirring feature we’ve seen in a while.
Mark Anthony Green aka, MAG is the man behind the film that he started writing six years ago. MAG’s extensive career at GQ is apparent, with style seeping through every scene of the film he directed, from the lighting to the music, every detail is considered and executed brilliantly, making it hard to believe OPUS is his feature directorial debut.
“I want you to go see OPUS because it’s a wild ride—one of the most fun experiences you’ll have in a movie in a long time,” MAG said in a recent sit-down with PopViewers. “Ayo Edebiri is brilliant. John Malkovich gives one of his best performances, and he’s one of the best actors alive.”
The result is indeed a fever dream of a film that delivers a wild ride full of startling scenarios that sinks its teeth right into the meatiest part of where we are as a culture and what role we play in the carnage.
“I want you to go and have this fun experience, because after that, I do think the thing that you’re talking about, there’s provocative questions and things that I think we should audit and discuss if these things still serve us,” he says.
On it’s face, there are obvious themes of the profound influence of celebrity culture, as well as the impact of our obsession with it.
But boiling under the surface is an even more compelling commentary on the ways the kind of cult-like fanaticism has seeped into all areas of society, particularly our political landscape.
“I think that our boundaries are being shifted exponentially. Things are both, they’re getting worse and they’re getting worse faster than 10 years ago. And I started making this film six years ago. Unfortunately, it’s more relevant today than it was six years ago,” he says. “Opus is not homework. It is very fun. But when we finish it, one thing that has been so rewarding to see is people leave, and you can tell they’re carrying this thing now, and it is a true, scénoramic, intense experience.”
While OPUS leaves you shocked by the more grotesque moments, what will linger are the ways in which we see ourselves in this bizarrely relatable reality.
“I love that as an artist, my job is not to posture like I have the answers,” MAG says. “My job is to make you ask the questions. Hopefully, the world will get better, and we’ll sort through it from there.”
“OPUS is not homework. It is very fun,” MAG insists. “But when it ends, one of the most rewarding things to see is that people leave carrying something with them. It’s a true, intense, and panoramic experience.”
OPUS is in theaters now.
Stay tuned for more from Mark Anthony Green and PopViewers.