Most people underestimate the importance of a good soundtrack in movies. Most of the time, their attention is focused on the visual aspects of an already visual media, to which a track is nothing but a complement. However, true cinema fans know that soundtracks matter. Can you imagine Robert Downey Jr. jumping out of an airplane to Red Right Hand from Nick Cave (the Peaky Blinders theme song) instead of Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC? Of course you can, and we can all agree that such an idea is nothing short of ridiculous.
Soundtracks matter because they do something words and visuals alone often can’t — they reach into our emotions and stir something deeper inside. So, every time a movie scene makes our heartbeat rise, our blood boil, our eyes tear up, or gives us chills, the odds are that music plays a big part in that. It simply ties everything together. It creates a mood, a memory, a moment, all of which often continue to linger even after the credits roll. And this is exactly what the director and writer Geremy Jasper understood. His upcoming post-apocalyptic musical drama film, O’Dessa — scheduled to release on March 20, 2025 — is proof of that.
And since we’re discussing a musical, the soundtrack doesn’t just accompany the story. Instead, the music is the story, since it’s woven into every aspect of the movie. In O’Dessa, which debuted to much excitement at SXSW, actor Regina Hall, best known for her work in the Scary Movie franchise, absolutely shattered all expectations with her performance. Hall plays Neon Dion, a ruthless enforcer in Satylite City, whose commanding and chilling presence marks a sharp turn for the actor who’s mostly known for her comedic and dramatic performances.
But what makes this particular role interesting is the fact that Hall actually enjoyed playing a villain, saying that the film’s music drew her even deeper into the role. “I’ve had never had an opportunity to play a dark villain like that,” Hall said in a recent interview with Black Girl Nerds. “When you added the musical component… the idea of having her own little Neon Dion theme song was exciting. It was a lot of fun to play.”
Sadly, the theme song ultimately didn’t make the final cut, but that doesn’t curb Hall’s enthusiasm toward portraying a layered villainous figure in the film. If nothing, her performance is evidence enough that Jasper picked a fantastic actor to play Neon Dion. Her performance dominates in every scene she’s in. She’s truly a scene-stealer. And while there are her moments were cut like songs and even a moment where she slaps Euri, this still doesn’t take anything away from the magnitude of her depiction of this enigmatic character.
So, while we won’t hear her sing Neon Dion’s theme in O’Dessa, it seems like Hall hit a career note most of us never even heard from her — the one that clearly conveys that her acting talents extend far beyond the comedic genre.
Director Geremy Jasper, known for 2017’s Patti Cake$ and Outlaws, once again proves that he has an ear for great music, which he used as a narrative architecture for the entire movie — instead of just background music. Hall described the soundtrack as “Genre-specific but also universal… Anybody watching the film would enjoy the music. You don’t have to say, ‘Oh, I listen to folk,’ or, ‘I listen to rock.’ The music is a part of the story… his storytelling is through music.”
This soundtrack does transcend genre boundaries by fusing folk, rock, electronic, and Western influences into something that’s simultaneously strange and familiar, enhancing O’Dessa’s atmospheric depth. For those who aren’t really familiar with O’Dessa, the movie is set in an apocalyptic future in which the titular character, portrayed by Sadie Sink, ventures to the city to fulfill the prophecy that has been passed down for generations — armed with nothing but her magical guitar.
However, when she gets there, her guitar is stolen, and she has nowhere else to go until she meets Euri, portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr. BGN also interviewed Kelvin Harrison Jr. along with Regina Hall during their press tour for the film at SXSW.
The movie is tonally imbalanced, which actually works in its favor, locking it between a gritty post-apocalyptic nightmare and a true love story. It’s really something entirely different from what we’re used to seeing in modern films, and it truly has the potential to become a cult classic one day.
As previously stated, the movie premiered at SXSW on March 8, and those interested in seeing Regina Hall delivering a fantastic performance will have to wait a few days — the movie is currently scheduled to be released by Searchlight Pictures through Hulu on March 20, 2025.
For more of BGN’s interview with Regina Hall and Kelvin Harrison Jr. watch the video below: