As an entertainment journalist, I’ve seen some things. I’m talking red carpets, over-the-top first-class flights and interviews with folks who are first on the call sheet. I’ve been there, done that. But even with all that glitz, all my “once in a lifetime” moments, I’ve learned one thing: Trust your gut. That little voice in your head? It doesn’t lie.
So, I was intrigued by Opus, Ayo Edebiri‘s latest flick. She plays a young reporter, Ariel, and she’s hungry, ready for that life-changing story that can become her best-seller. So when she’s invited to tag along for an exclusive listening party for Alfred Moretti (played by John Malkovich), a pop star godlike being who’s been MIA for 30 years, she’s on it. She’s thinking Pulitzer, not “run for your life.”
Ariel goes to his compound where phones get confiscated, which would be an instant red alert for me — you’re not disconnecting me from my Mama! But she’s still scribbling in her notebook, thinking she’s gonna get a scoop. Then, when the 24-hour concierge surveillance is literally 24/7 and people start vanishing, she gets the creeps. That feeling when the hair on your neck stands up. That’s what Ariel’s facing. If there’s one thing we know as Black women, when the hairs are at attention, it’s time to bounce. Your mind is screaming “Get out,” and you better listen.
Opus producer Poppy Hanks, executive vice president of Film Production & Development, MACRO Film Studios, helped flesh out Ariel’s journey.
“She’s the smartest girl in the room. She has done research on her subject and is not interested in salaciousness like her boss, wanting to dig deep into the subject’s true stories and background,” Hanks explained. “Ariel has to play a game of acquiescence to her boss while she works twice as hard to be seen as a real journalist. She relies on her instincts and works harder than everyone else.”
In the end, Opus, written and directed by newcomer Mark Anthony Green, is a look into the professional plight of Black women: Do we play the game to get ahead or listen to our inner guide?
Hanks agreed. “I think this is a commentary on Black women in journalism, or any industry, and also a commentary on Black women in general as society continues to ignore their warnings and attempts to right the ship.”
Opus, now playing in theaters.
