The OA (2016-2019)
IMDb meta-data is 16 episodes of 1h each, rated 7.8 by 119,000 cinematizens
Genre: Sy Fy
DNA: USA
Verdict: All trip, but what a trip.
Tagline: The Living Dead.
She went out to get a bottle of milk, and disappeared for seven years. Not quite, but something like that. Then she came back.
But is it she? The returnee is different yet undeniably her. Where had she been? What did she do in those years? Why is she different?
That is the kick off and flashbacks unravel her story.
There are things to like about it. The pace is slow and the telling is convoluted. Some of that is a gimmick to keep the viewer coming back episode by episode and not necessary to the plot or character. Still it is in no hurry unlike to many breathless presentations that go nowhere fast. I also like the gathering a multi-generation group. Because several of them are young, we also see the mental and moral growth of a couple of them as they participate in the quest for meaning. After all, what does ‘OA’ mean? I think I got it but….
I was less enamoured of the mad scientist and his elaborate set up. The actor is great at it but why is he there at all.
My track record with television series is poor. I usually give up after three episodes of so when the attenuated trivia and clichés become too great, e.g. For All Mankind, Mars, Beacon 23, War of the Worlds, Infiniti, and others now forgotten down the memory hole are instances of this viewer’s fatigue.
I chose this one because I have seen other films from this duo, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, starting with Another Earth (2011) and The Sound of My Voice (2012). Two of the most original and arresting films I have seen. Their kinship to The OA is palpable but the connective tissue is stretched very thin.