'Odyssey' (2025) Review [SXSW 2025]

Odyssey opens with an up-close view of a dentist pulling out the wisdom tooth of our main character, Natasha (Polly Maberly), a rude and shady real estate agent. Directed by Gerard Johnson (Tony, Muscle), the film follows Natasha as things in her life spiral out of control. The final 20 minutes of this film are exquisite. But getting there is a task.

At a runtime of 1hr and 50 minutes, we witness an in-depth character study of Natasha as she comes face to face with her shady dealings. Not only does she owe a lot of people thousands of pounds, she is also an addict and stealing from her company. Natasha is not a likeable character whatsoever. She is a liar, mean, and a con artist. There is no rooting for her. Much like Ti West's focus on money and success in his character study of Maxxxine Minx, Johnson and his co-writer, Austin Collings, threads similar themes throughout Natasha's narrative showing how far she is willing to go to stay on top. 

Just when Natasha's dealings couldn't get any shadier, she gets wrapped up in the kidnapping of another real estate agent in exchange for debt forgiveness from one of her loan sharks. Natasha sets out to get help from someone from her past, known as "The Viking", and he quickly becomes one of the best things about this film. Venturing around London's streets alongside our protagonist, has us deeply invested and submerged--  for almost two hours. The runtime is a hindrance for this drama turned crime thriller, almost to its detriment. We spend a lot of time looking over Natasha's shoulder, clearly seeing her life unravel at the seams. But I could have done without at least 20 minutes of her mayhem.

After finding, "The Viking", Natasha gets the boost she needed to face her problems head on, just not in the way one might think. Her character blossoms before our eyes into something from the John Wick universe, and honestly, it's awesome. The final act of Odyssey becomes a dance-- a violent dance but a dance all the same. "Send him to Valhalla", The Viking tells her as she holds a semi-automatic weapon in her hands while standing in a deserted farmhouse that is off the beaten path. Coupled with the score by Johnson's brother Matt, the film wraps up blissfully bloody.

Film: Odyssey

Rating: 2.5 out 5 

Director: Gerard Johnson

Premiered at SXSW 2025