{"id":13344,"date":"2025-03-20T10:03:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T17:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=13344"},"modified":"2025-03-27T13:25:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T20:25:24","slug":"interesting-with-creative-visuals-good-acting-but-the-plot-falls-a-bit-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2025\/interesting-with-creative-visuals-good-acting-but-the-plot-falls-a-bit-short\/","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019Dessa * Interesting With Creative Visuals, Good Acting, But The Plot Falls Short"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-13350\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.poster.png?resize=121%2C182&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"121\" height=\"182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.poster.png?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.poster.png?w=300&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 121px) 100vw, 121px\" \/>Set in a post-apocalyptic future, <em>O\u2019Dessa <\/em>is an original rock opera about a farm girl on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love \u2013 but in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and song to the ultimate test.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Zoe C., comments, \u201c<em>O\u2019Dessa<\/em> is an interesting film with immersive visuals and cinematography, good acting, but unfortunately, the plot falls a bit short. While there are strong performances, especially from Sadie Sink and Kevin Harrison Jr., the film feels subpar in its execution.\u201d See her full review below.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Dessa<br \/>\nBy Zo\u00eb C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2LRQxfoPpUU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13346 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.b.jpg?resize=227%2C151&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.b.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.b.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px\" \/>O\u2019Dessa<\/em> is an interesting film with immersive visuals and cinematography, good acting, but unfortunately, the plot falls a bit short. While there are strong performances, especially from Sadie Sink and Kevin Harrison Jr., the film feels subpar in its execution.<\/p>\n<p>The film is set in a dystopian future where O\u2019Dessa (Sadie Sink) is in search of her guitar which belonged to her father and meant everything to her. She travels to Satellite City, a dangerous place, and encounters a fractured society. Along the way, she finds unexpected allies and dangerous enemies. As she pieces together the truth, she is forced to confront the reality of a world that may not be what it seems.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-13347\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.c.jpg?resize=230%2C153&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"230\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.c.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.c.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px\" \/>The cinematography is one of the film&#8217;s strongest aspects as it presents a world that is both immersive and striking in its visuals. I enjoyed the exaggerated use of color and lighting and the set. The score is decent, but it doesn\u2019t leave a lasting impact. There are moments when the music enhances the mood, but overall, it lacks the emotional weight that could have elevated it. Sadie Sink delivers a raw and emotionally charged performance, bringing depth to O\u2019Dessa in a way that makes her journey compelling.<\/p>\n<p>Sink has been in many dramas, but I\u2019ve never seen her in a film like this one and enjoyed her performance. Kevin Harrison Jr. in his role as Euri Dervish performs well and the chemistry between him and Sink adds a layer of sincerity to the film. The thing that pulls this down is the storyline. There are interesting ideas presented, but they aren\u2019t fully developed, which leaves the film feeling somewhat hollow, despite its artistic ambition.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13345 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.a.jpg?resize=231%2C154&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.a.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Odessa.a.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/>Ultimately, <em>O\u2019Dessa <\/em>is a film that thrives in its aesthetics but stumbles in storytelling. While it\u2019s worth watching for the cinematography and performances, the lack of a strong narrative makes it fall short of being truly memorable.<\/p>\n<p>The film\u2019s message is that there is good and evil in this world and it\u2019s up to us to recognize what is corrupt and to make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>I give <em>O\u2019Dessa<\/em> 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. You can catch it on Hulu beginning March 20, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-YDQR6NUNYQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O\u2019Dessa is an original rock opera about a farm girl on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love \u2013 but in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and song to the ultimate test.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Zoe C., comments, \u201cO\u2019Dessa is an interesting film with immersive visuals and cinematography, good acting, but unfortunately, the plot falls a bit short. While there are strong performances, especially from Sadie Sink and Kevin Harrison Jr., the film feels subpar in its execution.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4949,15],"tags":[1534,8839,8831,8829,8827,470,8842,8823,7071,8836,8833,8562,8840,8834,8828,8830,8825,471,62,8832,8841,8826,8835,8838,8824,8837],"class_list":["post-13344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature-film","category-feature-film-reviews","tag-alice-in-wonderland","tag-andrea-juric","tag-bree-erod","tag-dominik-cicak","tag-dora-dimic-rakar","tag-drama","tag-family-relationships","tag-geremy-jasper","tag-girl-power","tag-jadranka-matkovik","tag-judy-malka","tag-kelvin-harrison-jr","tag-luca-anic","tag-luka-baresic","tag-marinko-prga","tag-mark-boone-junior","tag-murray-bartlett","tag-music","tag-musical","tag-pokey-lafarge","tag-punk-rocker","tag-regina-hall","tag-rithvik-andugula","tag-rydel","tag-sadie-sink","tag-tin-milalic"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-3te","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13344"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13409,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13344\/revisions\/13409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}