Sundance Review: ODDSAC

I would usually try my best to remain as objective as possible when reviewing a film, but with ODDSAC It’s almost required to make an exception. That’s because ODDSAC is such a subjective film that it will no doubt be a different experience for everyone who watches it. I understand how cliche that sounds, but it couldn’t be any truer with this film. I understand the polarity that will come from audiences after watching it, but the film is the music of Animal Collective in a visual medium. Directed by Danny Perez, and scored by Animal Collective, ODDSAC is a very pure collaboration between the five artists (four members of the band plus the director.) I’ve seen a lot of experimental films, but ODDSAC stands out as one of my favorites, mostly by being the most entertaining and harshly beautiful. The film is a collection of seemingly unrelated short films that stand together to create an incredibly visceral experience.

The film succeeds by coming across as a living creature, by visually bursting at the seams with each and every pulse of Animal Collective’s score. It’s intense, raw, and at the same time serene. The music clicks along by introducing the audience to a foreboding and catchy melody, growing in intensity, melting down to sadness, and then popping itself back onto its feet and into a joyful hymn near the film’s conclusion. The audio compliments the film well. When a character is threatened, the music conveys the emotion in the scene, and does so respectively for any other emotional situations that the recurring characters might find themselves in.
The film is shot and edited with a ferocity that can only be found in an experimental film. It’s fast when it needs to be, and slow when it wants to be. The only issue I have with the formula is that the short story/live action sequences are so good that I was sad to be forced to watch a computer-generated visualization. Because visualization sequences run on a bit too long, the second I was exposed to another live action bit, I found myself relived and enthralled by the next short story put in front of me.

All in all, some people with a closed mind, those who refuse to let ODDSAC take a hold of the wheel, will likely be disappointed. However if you go into the film ready and willing to experience what ODDSAC is more than willing to offer, you’ll enjoy yourself. I find myself liking the film more and more over time, it’s marinating and images are still lingering, creating memories I really want to experience again. ODDSAC is one of those rare experimental films that succeeds in drawing the audience in and refuses to free you until it’s finished what it set out to do. What exactly is its purpose? That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself, because It won’t leave your brain feeling the same way it left mine.

OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5