“O.C.D”
Credits:
Directed by: Luca Pizzoleo
Written by: Conor Patrick Walsh
Starring: Steven Ogg, Raz Fritz, Ariel Martin
Run Time: 00:12:11
Available to stream? Yes, on YouTube.
There is a saying in comedy— “commit to the bit”. It’s a saying that has been co-opted by others outside of the comedy world and potentially overused, but when you see comedy that truly does commit to the bit, it can be incredibly fun, and incredibly rewarding for the audience to watch. O.C.D fully commits to the bit and in doing so takes the viewers on a humorous journey that explores anxiety, stress, and overthinking.
As things begin, we find Owen (Raz Fritz) picking up some items from a convenience store before heading to a dinner party at his girlfriend’s house. It’s presumed that this dinner party is a trial run for what is potentially a new relationship, as Owen will soon meet his girlfriend’s parents. Before we even dive into all of that story (which quite naturally unfolds in the first few minutes of the film), we see Owen’s anxieties and clear obsessive compulsive disorder on full display in the store as he must straighten every box and label. As conversations and situations continue, we start to seamlessly drift into Owen’s subconscious answer to “what’s the worst that could happen?” scenario. We start to see what Owen feels might be the worst that could happen should he not feed into his tendencies, and it takes us down a fun and relatable journey that always toes the line and never punches down or makes fun of these conditions. All of these feelings are manifested and guided by a stellar performance from Steven Ogg who is credited as “The Agent”.
O.C.D. is a film that overall is working on all major components. It’s well acted, well directed, well written. Jeremy Basset delivers knockout visuals— both in terms of the look of this production and camera movements. Pizzoleo controls the pace of the film and the framing as he was both credited as director and editor. Pizzoleo and Basset’s work is complimented by Alexander Arntzen (music) and Ando Johnson (sound designer), who help bring this world to life. The sound in the world of O.C.D. guides the viewer, and becomes an important character in and of itself. In someways the way in which visuals and sound work together in this film feel reminiscent of a Looney Tunes cartoon— and I mean that with the highest compliment possible.
Not everything in the film lands— Ariel Martin is incredibly charming and supportive over the phone as Owen’s partner, “Anna”, but she’s constantly got Owen on speakerphone as she’s posting pictures and selfies of the nights set up in a move that feels like an overshare. Additionally, it’s unclear why its pointed out as a key element that the protagonist works at an Amazon knockoff company, “Scamazon”. There is one nod to the company in the climax of the film which leads to a funny exchange, but it feels like there’s a solid film here even with out this fake company’s inclusion. A conclusion could be drawn that these elements, both the interaction because Owen is a Scamazon employee, and the over-sharing selfie taking girlfriend are elements of Owen’s further anxieties, but if that is what the filmmakers are going for, it just doesn’t quite land, and both feel like a bit of a gag below the overall quality of this production.
In the end, when we are brought back to reality after exploring Owen’s “worst that could happen”, we can see a character in Owen that is trying to grow, but with the presence of his anxieties always looming— quite literally with Ogg’s final moment in the film. The team behind the film, Pizzoleo and Conor Patrick Walsh (writer) show that sometimes when you commit to the bit, and go all in, the result is a stellar comedy about serious issues.
4/5 Stars
Steven Ogg and Raz Fritz in O.C.D. (Luca Pizzoleo, 2025).