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5.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Odessa remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, it depends on how much you like looking at construction work. If you find the rhythm of old city planning tapes relaxing, you’ll love this. If you need a plot or, you know, people talking to each other, you should probably skip it. It feels like a time capsule that forgot to include the human element.
Jean Lods doesn't really give us a story here. Instead, he gives us the sound of progress. There is a specific shot of a crane moving that lasts long enough to make you wonder if the cameraman just forgot to yell cut. It’s hypnotic, but in a way that makes you reach for your coffee.
The whole thing feels oddly sterile. You see all these new amenities coming into Odesa, but the city looks strangely empty. Maybe everyone was at work? It lacks the messy, crowded feeling you get in something like The Vice of Fools. This movie is strictly business.
Isaak Babel had a hand in the writing, which is fascinating because the dialogue is basically non-existent. It’s all visual. You see a pipe go into the ground. Then you see a street get paved. It’s almost like watching a city get a haircut.
It’s not as chaotic as Smashing the Plot, but there’s a similar feeling of wanting to change the world. Only here, the world is just a sewer line. There is something kind of brave about making a whole movie about civil engineering. It’s not trying to be Stage Struck or anything else dramatic. It just wants you to know that Odesa got some really nice plumbing in the mid-30s.
I kept waiting for a punchline or a shift in tone. It never happens. The movie just keeps chugging along with its blueprints and its sunshine. It’s a bit like staring at a really well-organized spreadsheet for an hour. 🏗️
It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s definitely not for a Friday night popcorn session. But if you’ve ever wondered what a 1930s city-planning meeting looked like in motion, here you go. Just don't blame me if you start dreaming about urban drainage systems.
