Penned from the pains of personal experiences and lessons learnt through healing, Writer/Director Actor Dillon Tucker’s semi-autobiographical work “Pure O” touches upon the silent symptoms of its titular subject. The film—which was nominated for the Grand Jury award at SXSW 2023—investigates ‘Pure Obsessional,’ an OCD adjacent disorder. It isn’t easily detectable due to a lack of physical tics; it manifests as emotionally distressing or overwhelming impulses within one’s psyche, with sufferers convincing themselves they’re a threat to others or not adequate enough. Sufferers also find themselves preoccupied with obsessions, recurring desires, or worries that eat away at them. This can range from Googling symptoms unrelated to one’s own health after feeling troubled over a relative’s passing/hospitalization, to more serious ones that involve abrupt thoughts of killing loved ones in a morbid fashion.
“Pure O” benefits from Tucker’s unstructured approach of blending heavy scenarios, featuring its protagonist, Cooper (Daniel Dorr), a rehab counselor and aspiring screenwriter. He records and listens to his own disturbing thoughts on loop on his smartphone. Tucker contrasts this with more laidback scenarios that offer respite as Cooper surrenders himself to the process by attending group therapy (this and the recordings are suggested by an OCD specialist), and from the filmmaker’s sincerity in storytelling. It digs deep into Cooper’s real-life struggles with this crippling form of OCD. The film’s tone is not one that demeans patients, nor dictates mental health to be the ultimate death knoll. Instead, it normalises open conversations and demonstrates how staying silent can prove to be deadlier than the disorder itself.
Encouraging Empathy for a Misunderstood Condition
“Pure O” also reassures viewers who might suffer from the conditions portrayed on-screen that they shouldn’t allow their disorder to incriminate them; love and communication will eventually win over one-sided relations, silence, and uncontrolled impulse in the long run. This is showcased via Cooper’s wholesome interactions with the patients at the rehabilitation centre he works at, one a young woman named Rachel who is recovering from a relapse. Such scenes highlight how much like OCD and its various counterparts, healing can take various forms. One of these can be impulsively tossing a rock/pebble while bemoaning one’s illness, or playing a noble part by simply standing in as an anchor to someone who is feeling directionless and vulnerable. These can achieve an emotional high by simply sharing the load with people who have the mental and emotional capacity to understand or share similar experiences.
Daniel Dorr—an actor with a strong background in theater—plays Cooper well. He radiates a mix of endearing charm and intensity. He allows the audeince to empathise with a protagonist at odds with intrusive thoughts and triggering reactions. He’s driven to filter his real thoughts from his disconnected ones to gain control over his convoluted mind and free himself from the horror movie that plays out in his head. Dorr also shares a natural repartee with both his co-stars, Landry Bender and Hope Lauren. Landry plays Rachel, a mischievous and self-destructive recovering addict whom Cooper helps to put at ease, while Hope plays Cooper’s outspoken and supportive fiancée Emily. The latter is learning about Cooper’s condition, but is also at odds with her own desires in the process. The supporting cast consists of real-life OCD patients and drug rehabilitation counselors, all who lend the movie authenticity.
Thorough Yet Hopeful
“Pure O” proves to be a thoroughly informative and detailed watch, while being simplistic enough for viewers to absorb all its information. It also ends on a hopeful note with the message that individuals who live with these conditions—or have been diagnosed in their later stages—have the choice to speak openly, rather than to fall prey to the lies their brains feed them. Lastly, it puts to rest any stigma around the built-up false sense of ‘hopelessness’ that sets in during late-stage diagnosis, as well as the misconceptions regarding the disorder itself.
“Pure O” opened theatrically in Los Angeles on April 5th, 2024, and is prepped for a digital release across all major streaming platforms for viewers in UK, US, and Canada beginning April 12th.
You can watch the trailer for “Pure O” in the screen below.
