During these turbulent times, in movies including “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and “Blink Twice,” filmmakers have been responding with flicks that feature unstable billionaire characters with cult followings such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, as well as the current POTUS. Onscreen, some of these insidious white men get their comeuppance and others simply get away with their dastardly deeds.
In “Opus” (A24), writer/director Mark Anthony Green’s directorial debut feature, young and inquisitive journalist Ariel (out actor Ayo Edebiri) gets the shock of her life when she learns that she is among the chosen tastemakers invited to the secluded Utah compound of semi-retired music legend Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich at his most bizarre). The occasion is the release of Moretti’s first album of new material in 30 years.
In addition to Ariel, her pushy editor Stan (out actor Murray Bartlett), TV entertainment reporter Clara (Juliette Lewis), DJ Bill (Mark Sivertsen), photographer Bianca (Melissa Chambers), and influencer Emily (Stephanie Suganami), are also on the exclusive guest list. While the others, all of whom have a history with Moretti except Ariel, are honored and thrilled to be a part of the event, Ariel approaches the experience with trepidation.
From Moretti’s bizarre entrance to the unusual food served in the dining hall to the spooky staff and cultish atmosphere to the requirements placed on the guests (including a neat and trim pubic region), this is meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. But Ariel’s not sold on it, and her suspicions continue to be aroused when the caretaker assigned to her tails her too closely while out on a run.
Then things get weirder. Bill disappears (we get to some of what happened to him), although excuses are made for his absence. Emily gets sick during the intimate presentation of Moretti’s new music (which involves some truly bizarre dancing on Malkovich’s part) and is whisked away. Meanwhile, Moretti alternately shares things about himself and then clams up when interacting with Ariel.
Of course, the manipulative Moretti, a devotee of the religious cult Level, has something special in store for his guests. “Opus” is ultimately a story of revenge, and as the body count mounts in an especially gruesome scene (involving a near-scalping, a brutal stabbing, and an internal choking), Ariel bravely makes her escape, thinking that Moretti staff member Rachel (Tamara Tomakili) is on her side.
Two years later, with Moretti safely behind bars, Ariel is on a book tour for her non-fiction account of what happened to her and the others. Under the impression that the Level cult members also died in a Jonestown-esque manner, Ariel has a face-to-face prison meeting with Moretti who reveals the depraved depths of his shocking plan
Depending on your level of appreciation for this kind of fare, you may leave the theater kind of horror-hungry. Mark Anthony Green is no Ari Aster, after all. However, Edebiri and Malkovich are fantastic, and Green has a knack for blending fright, tension, and humor, meaning that “Opus” is far from an atrocity.
Rating: B-
