Parents' Guide to O Horizon

This futuristic drama is tender and gentle in unique ways, and while it's not necessarily as deep or profound as it seems to think it is, Maria Bakalova's unguarded performance carries it. The title, O Horizon, is defined as "the uppermost layer of soil, composed primarily of fresh and decaying organic matter such as leaves, twigs, and moss," which eventually adds nutrients to the soil. The movie is perhaps suggesting that we can learn something from loss and tragedy—or maybe grow as a result of it. It's a simple message, and it works well enough. But tech is a big part of this story, and the movie doesn't really connect the "Seeking a Friend" phone technology with the experiments that Abby is conducting at work, which, when applied to humans, could make people not feel hunger or pain. (Truthfully, the invention sounds horrific—it could go wrong in so many ways—but the movie seems totally on board with it.)

In essence, the scenes at Abby's work are mainly notable for the beautiful color patterns projected on a big board, which presumably represent the monkey's serotonin levels. The scenes that really click are the ones in which viewers watch Abby work through her feelings. Bakalova (who was nominated for an Oscar for her comedic role as Borat's daughter in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) seems incapable of playing a false note as she expresses grief, confusion, disbelief, joy, and more. Abby goes on quite an emotional journey, and we're there for it. O Horizon gets a little strange toward the end, with a random cameo by a pop star and some other odd choices, but it still touches the heartstrings. (It's worth noting that writer-director Madeleine Rotzler is a member of the Sackler family, whose company, Purdue Pharma, manufactured and aggressively marketed OxyContin and has been widely criticized for its role in the opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family have publicly denied personal responsibility for the crisis despite widespread lawsuits and public backlash.)