Aahana Swrup
The rock musical drama film ‘O’Dessa’ takes the viewers on a wild ride through a dystopian world where a young woman is destined to bring salvation into an otherwise decrepit society. O’Dessa is a farm girl who is fated for great things as the Seventh Son in her rambler family. As such, she sets about on an adventure when her guitar, a precious family heirloom, gets stolen. However, her destination, Satylite City, is under the firm control of Plutonovich, who has everyone under his mesmerizing spell. Even so, within this dangerous city, the young woman manages to find her one true love, Euri, a performer trapped by his circumstances. Therefore, when his life is at stake, O’Dessa—armed only with her guitar—confronts her fate and undertakes the impossible mission of bringing down the puppeteer of Satylite City. SPOILERS AHEAD!
O’Dessa Plot Synopsis
In a dystopian world where most civilizations have crumpled, Satylite City stands as the last harbor for a functioning society. However, it is entirely overrun by the tyrannical ruler, Plutonovich, who exerts startling control over the citizens through his hypnotizing entertainment broadcasts. However, O’Dessa’s story begins away from this place, at a remote dirt farm where she and her mother live in isolation. Despite their lifestyle, the young girl dreams of adventure—in part due to her father’s early influence. Her father, Vergil, was a rambler who believed in the prophecy that the seventh son in his family—O’Dessa—was destined to bring hope to the population through soul-stirring music. Although the girl remains on her family farm until she’s 19, her mother’s eventual death compels her to abandon her roots.
O’Dessa plans on embarking on a rambler’s quest, moving from town to town to uplift people’s spirits with her music. Nonetheless, her plans take a sharp turn when she crosses paths with some travelers headed for the Satylite City. They welcome her into their group for the night, claiming to know her father—and take off with her Willa guitar while she’s asleep in the morning. Thus, left with no other options, the young woman makes plans to travel to Satylite City and find the thieves. Yet, the task is easier said than done. The town is overwhelming, especially for a farm girl like O’Dessa. It operates under the strict control of Plutonovich, whose right-hand woman, Dion, carries out punishments to anyone who dares rebel against him. Meanwhile, his monopolistic grasp over broadcast entertainment continues to keep many in a trance.
Even after O’Dessa finds her guitar—hung up for sale in a pawn shop—she’s destitute enough to have no means to buy it back. Fortunately, she comes across a lounge where performers are paid to sing. As such, after fashioning a makeshift guitar for herself out of trash, she enters the proverbial den of lions. Even though the crowd doesn’t appreciate her brand of folksy music, the lounge brings her to Euri Dervish, the sensual, top performer whose music beguiles her. The same night, she ends up meeting him again by the seaside after helping him out of a bind with the local pervert. As the two get to know each other—and Euri gets taken by her own musical prowess—the musician ends up lending her a helping hand. Inevitably, a passionate romance sparks between them. Furthermore, O’Dessa begins making a living by busking in the streets, appealing to the local crowd’s music tastes.
Although the couple faces some trouble, especially after Euri’s patron, Dion, learns about their relationship, they manage to overcome every obstacle. Eventually, O’Dessa proposes, much to her partner’s delight. However, on the day of the wedding, misfortune befalls them as Euri gets abducted by Plutonovich’s men and taken to the Onederwold—a place where rebels get punished on the live telecast. In her distress, O’Dessa is confronted once again by her destiny, as the eyeless prophet, Calliope, meets her and encourages her to fight for her love and save the world in the process. Thus, O’Dessa decides to register for Plutonovich’s “The One” competition, traveling to the Onederworld to face her destiny.
O’Dessa Ending: Did O’Dessa Save Euri? Are They Still Alive?
Once Euri gets taken to the Onederworld, he’s set up for a cruel fate. The Onederworld—the island where Plutonovich resides and films his broadcast shows, is also used as a torture chamber for his enemies. The man puts rebels on his show, forcing them to undergo a “facejob,” which leaves them robbed of their prior self and condemned only to sing the tyrant’s praises. Therefore, O’Dessa hurries to save the love of his life, especially after Calliope reveals that as the seventh son, she’s meant to add the seventh string to the Willa guitar—hidden inside the couple’s spooled engagement ring. As such, she travels to Onederworld.
Meanwhile, Plutonovich is hosting The One Competition on the island, where he’s trying to find an exceptional entertainer with the promise of granting the winner one wish. Simultaneously, he’s also forcing Euri to dance for the audience’s amusement in a bid to save his life. During this performance, O’Dessa manages to crash the show. She makes the bold claim of being “The One” that Plutonovich is looking for and asks to participate in the competition in exchange for Euri’s life. In the end, despite the challenges, she manages to put on a performance that moves the entire nation, compelling the tyrant to crown her as the winner.
However, when O’Dessa makes her wish—Euri—she’s presented with the horrifying husk of her partner, who has been put through a facejob operation. Consequently, the young girl realizes she has truly lost the love of her life. There is no coming back from the procedure, which has changed the sensational musician into a robotic mockery of her old self. As O’Dessa realizes her happily-ever-after has been effectively blundered, she refuses to take the loss lying down. In the end, she sets her guitar on fire and uses it to destroy “The Eye,” a broadcasting device that is the nucleus of Plutonovich’s influence and power. The plazma that runs through the device is so potent that it blows the entire island up.
In the aftermath, O’Dessa meets Euri in a dream-like prairie where the two lovers can reunite again. The scene is bittersweet, especially as it’s followed by the reality of Onederworld’s fiery destruction. Euri was lost to the world the minute he underwent the facejob operation. As such, when O’Dessa meets him again, it’s only in the afterlife that their spirits have escaped. The magnitude of the Eye’s blast has destroyed the entire Onederworld, leaving no possibility for survival. Ultimately, both O’Dessa and Euri die after fighting until the very end for their love.
Does O’Dessa Save Satylite City?
As the Seventh Son in the Galloway line of ramblers, O’Dessa had been part of a world-changing prophecy long before her birth. After the first Galloway to cross paths with Calliope carved the Willa guitar from the wood of the burned willow tree, the instrument became infused with a fateful dose of magic. This could only be unlocked by the true savior, who is prophesied to save humanity. As such, the Galloways have been passing the guitar to the next generations for decades. Even though O’Dessa has known about the prophecy all her life, its significance dilutes into an instance of wishful thinking over the years. As such, she doesn’t carry the expectations of a savior. Instead, she simply dreams of being a rambler like her father and bringing moments of joy to the disturbed.
It isn’t until O’Dessa arrives in Satylite City that she witnesses the reality of the world. The entire town is unmoored and uninspired, trapped under the control of Plutonovich and his relentless brainwashing. While in the city, she offers moments of inspiration and freedom to some through her busking—which even manages to get the attention of One Nuns, who had otherwise devoted their lives to Plutonovich. Yet, it isn’t until she gets on stage, visible to every screen in the city, that she truly has the chance to reach her full potential. When she sings her song of love and perseverance, she unlocks something in the city folk that is powerful enough to break many out of their spell. However, this moment of respite could have barely saved anyone from their doomed realities.
Plutonovich’s propaganda is effective and efficient. His broadcasting power gives him the ability to flood anyone’s consciousness with himself, turning them into his puppets. Therefore, it isn’t until O’Dessa makes the decision to destroy Onederworld that she truly saves the citizens of Satylite City. By taking Plutonovich down once and for all, she frees everyone of his tyrannical rule. In the absence of his control, the citizens have a chance to redo society for their own betterment. Furthermore, O’Dessa’s legacy lives on through her sacrifice and her musical influence. In the end, one of the dirt-selling girls, Roach, whom the woman gave her scrappy guitar, can be seen dressing up in O’Dessa’s image. This symbolizes the immortal mark that the musician has left on people, even in her death.
Why Does O’Dessa Destroy Onederworld?
The Onederworld has been a vulnerability in Plutonovich’s armor for a long time. The island is home to The Eye, which is the power source behind the tyranny’s monopoly over broadcasting. During the end of time, Plutonovich hoarded all plazma, which he used to fuel the Eye and establish his rule in Satylite City. As a result, the entire Onederworld island is ripe with powerful—and highly flammable—plazma. Nonetheless, since the island is his home base, it is highly fortified, making it impossible for anyone to target it from the outside. Thus, the only way anyone can truly bring it down is from the inside.
Therefore, when O’Dessa targets the Eye with her flaming guitar—powered by the magic of the burnt Willow—she knows that she’s running a suicide mission. Nonetheless, her rage and grief are so immense she has no space for self-preservation. Plutonovich has just taken away the love of her life from her in a cruel and humiliating fashion. For the same reason, she wants to make him pay by similarly taking everything away from him. As a result, she swings for the Eye, knowing it will destroy the Onederworld and herself along with it. Yet, in Euri’s death and desecration, she is willing to go to unimaginable lengths for revenge.
Why Did Plutonovich Make O’Dessa the One?
After O’Dessa initially crashes Plutonovich’s show, the latter is incredibly annoyed at the woman. Still, he allows her to perform in the competition to please the public and give them the promised entertainment. Nonetheless, he isn’t above playing dirty. For the same reason, he cuts off all the strings in the young girl’s guitar, save for one. He wants to humiliate her for daring to go against his rule and plans to do so by robbing her of her musical talents. Even so, O’Dessa’s gifts come from within, and the performance that she puts on—with just one guitar string—still moves everyone.
In fact, many other participants, such as the Nuns, joined in on her performance, providing backup music to O’Dessa. Although a minuscule detail, it’s a bold move against Plutonovich. The same, paired with the public support for O’Dessa, shows the tyrant how his subjects are willing to support someone he evidently detests. Consequently, he knows simply turning her away and asserting her performance wasn’t good enough to win won’t help him keep his control over the citizens of Satylite City. For the same reason, he grants O’Dessa the winner’s title but robs her of her happiness by putting Euri through the facejob operation. Plutonovich wants to break O’Dessa’s spirit to make her powerless. In the end, all his actions do is add fire to her burning passion, which eventually seals his demise.
Read More: Where was Disney+’s O’Dessa Filmed?
