"Opus" Is Fun But Doesn't Know Its Own Motivation
Mark Anthony Green was unable to connect all of the pieces in his debut feature film, leaving Opus as a middling entry in an already oversaturated genre.

Omnibus film composed of 3 stories. "Scarlet Night": Natsuki, an office worker, is dating a self-proclaimed creator who lives off his money. He spends all his time playing pay-to-play games, and she's been taking advantage of him. However, a kind man appears before Natsuki, shows his affection, and they end up having sex... "Delusional": Megumi, an advertising photographer, has sex with her director at work, but a colleague sees them... "Be My Mom": one day, Hiroshi falls asleep after sex with Shoko and wakes up on the sofa. Shoko has feelings for Hiroshi, but when he asks her to marry him, she turns him down, saying she has a boyfriend. Hiroshi sees his mother in her behavior, but...
Mark Anthony Green was unable to connect all of the pieces in his debut feature film, leaving Opus as a middling entry in an already oversaturated genre.
Americans love the British monarchy. This may seem confusing because only a few short hundred years ago they were our worst enemies, and every year we celebrate our independence from them. The Crown humanizes the monarchy, which might explain its popularity.
The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.
White audiences saw Peola’s mixed-race passing as a Black woman’s struggle to be white. Black audiences saw it as the rebellion of a Black woman trying to gain privileges only given to white people.