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"O"

Aug 20, 2001

The newest adaptation of a Shakespeare play is the soon-to-be-released, O. It is a re-telling of Othello, set in a modern-day Southern U.S. private high school. It was originally slated to be released in 1999, but was shelved after the Columbine school shootings. The original distributor, Dimension Films, kept moving the date of release further and further ahead until it was finally picked up by Lions Gate Films.

The film stars Mikhi Pfifer as Odin, Julia Stiles as Desi, and Josh Hartnett as Hugo. It also features Martin Sheen and Andrew Keegan.

Odin is a promising young black basketball star, headed for the NBA. His friend, Hugo, is on the basketball team and is the son of the basketball coach (played by Martin Sheen). Odin is a favourite of the coach. Indeed, he says of Odin, "I love him like my own son." He asks his own son, Hugo, to take care of Odin and help him to fit in with the others at the school. Hugo is jealous of Odin and plots to destroy him. Hugo convinces Odin that Desi is having an affair with Michael Casio (played by Andrew Keegan), another member of the basketball team and a close friend of Desi's. From there the film plays out to an inevitible tragic end, along the lines of Othello.

I haven't had a chance to see this film yet but judging from what I saw in the trailer, I definitely will. It will be released on August 31st in the United States and is rated R. The film was written by Brad Kaaya and directed by Tim Blake Nelson.