Mark Anthony Green’s Magnum ‘Opus’

“Opus” invites audiences to a murderously cathartic listening party.

Written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, “Opus” draws a line between the haves and have nots in creativity instead of wealth. Toeing between horror and comedy, the film satirizes elitism through music, journalism and fanatic listeners.

Ariel, an ambitious writer overlooked by her peers, gets a break in her career when pop star Alfred Moretti invites her to an eerily remote listening party. Promoting his upcoming album “Caesar’s Request,” Moretti’s unexpected comeback after 27 years attracts worldwide attention — and the question of why he chose Ariel.

Playing Ariel, Ayo Edebiri defines the upstart journalist with a natural wit and drive for success. Edebiri (“The Bear,” “Bottoms”) underscores the character’s fame-hungry motivations with a genuine curiosity toward investigation and discovery. 

Ariel’s one-track mind is derailed by the obtuse Moretti, played by John Malkovich. The reclusive singer espouses a philosophy called Level, which dictates those who produce creative work are inherently superior. Malkovich (“Burn After Reading,” “Being John Malkovich”) submerges himself in Moretti’s eccentricities, relishing in his villainous whimsy.

Speaking at Music Box Theatre’s Q&A screening March 4, Green discussed the motivations behind his feature-length debut. Green said Moretti’s resurgence and purposefully dated sound was partially inspired by Michael Jackson’s 2001 album “Invincible.”

“It was an icon who was making an album decades after his greatness, and he was trying to sound contemporary and it just didn’t really work,” Green said. “But on the times it did work, those songs were incredible.”

Three original songs were composed for “Opus,” performed by Malkovich and produced by legendary songwriters Niles Rogers and The-Dream. Green said artists like Elton John and Alice Cooper were looked at as reference — but not substitution.

“I took wigs off the table because of Bowie and I didn’t want Moretti to play all the instruments because of Prince,” Green said. “You take enough of those things away, then you have something that we haven’t seen before.”

Green said Ariel’s focus on monetary success came from personal experience, having been a writer at GQ Magazine for nearly 12 years. Green said allowing a Black woman such agency in a horror film felt radical to both himself and Edebiri.

“I got to make this movie with a smart Black woman as the protagonist,” Green said. “She’s inquisitive, she’s thoughtful, she’s not perfect but she reminds me of so many of the Black women in my life.”

As Ariel navigates Moretti’s compound and his Level-abiding followers, Green directs the offbeat comedy and tension with a confident hand. Journalists cryptically abducted one by one are gleefully juxtaposed by the ostentatious Moretti and his god complex.

Green also spoke to The Phoenix March 5 during a college roundtable interview at Allied Global Marketing’s Chicago office. Green said the stark visuals of the film — spanning colorful interiors and barren exteriors — display his dedication, despite “Opus” being his first feature film.

“I made a short film eight years ago and have been working on this movie for six years,” Green said. “Every film is made because there’s an insane director who refuses to not let it get made.”

In preparation, Green wrote a 350-page manifesto detailing Level’s philosophy. Green said in making a film about a musician and his cult, he wanted to be sure the religion felt concrete.

“When you direct a film you are asked two million questions a day, it’s like a cliche,” Green said. “I felt if I created this religion, I could answer all of those questions much faster.”

While Moretti’s oddities and ideals unsettle, the film’s production is the most unnerving. Activities as innocuous as shucking oysters or eating bread grossly emphasized, stressing a rank atmosphere billowing beneath the surface.

Green said sound mixers Trevor Gates and Casey Genton, along with production designer Robert Pyzocha, aimed to make audiences as on edge as possible.

“I’m a firm believer that when you hire freaks, let them get freaky,” Green said. “Trevor and Cacey who did the sound on the film — they got freaky.”

“Opus” is a polished debut that gradually eases viewers into a darkly humorous setting. In using an ego-driven industry to comment on fame, fortune and creativity, the film rarely hits a flat note.

“Opus,” rated R, comes to theaters March 14.