Louie (Scott Michael Foster), an acclaimed writer, returns to his hometown after his father’s death. Confronted with his past, Louie is forced to reckon with the stories he’s stolen, distorted, or outright exploited for profit.
“Okie”, directed by Kate Cobb, offers a suspenseful atmosphere blended with the lightheartedness of a road movie, creating a compelling but unsettling cocktail.
The pen is mightier than the sword
If ink is the blood we spill on the page, then the pen is a more terrible and unforgivable weapon than any other. But where does this crimson truth flow from? At its best, a writer draws from their own veins (metaphorically speaking, don’t freak out) to reveal their soul in all its bloody hues. However, they can also sacrifice others on the altar of their writing, sometimes even in a mass slaughter.
There are writers whose hands are stained with blood, whether you know them personally or not. They’re the ones whose inspiration isn’t as divine and ethereal as they claim. Of course, even the greatest writers draw inspiration from their surroundings, but do they do so at the expense of others’ reputations? It’s like making an impulsive comment on social media or at a family gathering: you say or do something to vent your frustration, without realizing who you might hurt in the process. Unfortunately, a blank page can have the same effect. We might believe we’ve made a profound statement without harming anyone.
It’s easy to spend the rest of our lives oblivious to the harm we may have caused in our pursuit of fame and success. The least we can do is admit it. Scott Michael Foster plays Louie Mulgrin, a writer who would have preferred to visit his deceased father’s house and stay in his childhood town without leaving a trace. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for a Tesla to go unnoticed in a small Oklahoma town. His old friend comes knocking on his door, and like Gandalf at Bilbo’s door, brings with him an adventure he won’t forget.
Playtime
The screenplay takes us back to the people who once shared Louie’s life and unknowingly served as his muses. He believes he has changed and is now different from the small town where he grew up. However, his friend Kevin, played by Travis Young, drags Louie down the winding paths of his memories, leading him to the source of his torment. Along the way, Louie also reunites with Lainey, played by Kate Cobb, the embodiment of what he preferred in a romantic partner, and what success has convinced him he is not.
It takes time to realize what we truly loved. Not long ago, I was referring to Carl Jung’s theories of the persona, and Louie seems like the perfect example. His mask is what he presents when he arrives in the village; the people represent his shadows, the parts of himself he hides from the world and from himself; the pleasures and fears he experiences there represent his inner child, the person he used to be or the person he has ceased to be since leaving the place. Louie seems unable to reconcile his past and present selves; according to Jung, our dear Louie is in a state of psychic imbalance.
Louie’s psychological turmoil manifests in his sporadic medication use, casting doubt on the veracity of his experiences. The final outcome is all the more disturbing, as the latent anxiety that has been building up reaches a more extravagant level than initially anticipated. I myself was taken aback by these moments, increasingly doubting the possibility of a happy ending for Louie Mulgrin.
Only stories
We are all Spartacus, we are all Robert Paulson, but we are also Louie Mulgrin. In the end, we embellish our failures and complicate even our most trivial successes. As the saying goes, we create our own reality. We imagine our lives every day, but when do we truly embrace ourselves, rather than just being the heroes of our own stories? Louie becomes aware of this as he spends time with Lainey, a time that seems like the Eden from which humanity once exiled itself. The simple pleasure of a homemade omelet, without any eccentricity or superfluousness, brings tears of joy, but perhaps also guilt.
What do we write about? Even if they are part of a painful past, do we want to dishonor or hurt the integrity of those involved? Do we leave behind only the bad, or does time simply reflect all the possibilities that were offered to us and that we only notice now that the moment has passed? Making peace with all this and the steps to get there is probably one of the greatest challenges of our mortal lives. On a more pessimistic note, we must never forget that not everyone will succeed and that failure is always a possibility. What then? Okie won’t tell you. On the contrary, Okie cleverly leaves more questions than answers, inviting beautiful reflections.
Are there truly good and bad choices in life? I believe so, and “Okie” is definitely a good one. This unique film will likely appeal to anyone who wants to approach drama from a different angle. However, I advise against watching it before bed, especially if you’re prone to anxiety or insomnia. Although it’s neither a suspense thriller nor a comedy, “Okie” has elements of both, and that’s probably why it will captivate you. But can you tell the difference between humility and modesty?
