The Organist (2024) ‘Sydney Underground’ Movie Review

“Eating people is wrong” is the context that Andy Burkitt sets up for anyone planning to watch the Australian indie film “The Organist.” In the movie, Graham (played by Jack Braddy) provides “ethically sourced, locally grown organs” from people drowning in debt to wealthy patients who can pay to bypass the organ donor system. He works for a company, telling you that capitalism is the key that has, in Grapham’s world, found a way even to monetize human organ trade ethically. He thrives in his job until he discovers that the company actually serves cannibals.

Then, he meets someone healthy, Riley (Luke Fisher), who is on the verge of killing herself and convinces him to donate all his organs at once. Now, Graham stands a chance to escape the scrutinizing glance of the HR department, like a secret police service scanning all of Graham’s moves. Riley backs out at the last minute, and Graham is left to grapple with the humane consequences of his job. However, “The Organist” isn’t a great movie. It’s hard to admit this because the concept sounds very promising.

Here are two exciting concepts – the organ donor trade and the corporate world – that had the potential of coming together into a riotous horror comedy. However, the amalgamation of the two is not presented on the screen too well; hence, the film falls flat on its face. Individually, the ideas are well-explored. There is a hilarious scene where Graham’s HR Manager, Tracey (Lena Moon), tells Graham about the company’s policy and demands from a worker and another where Graham is first taken aback and later grossed out as he watches a cannibal prepare his food with a human kidney. However, these two elements never come together to recognize the film’s full potential.

The lead actors’ performances may be a contributing factor in this reception of the movie. Nevertheless, there is a sincere lack of chemistry between Graham and Riley, where, by the end of the film, it sounds like they are simply narrating the lines from the script. Like most things in this movie, their equation started out well. There were hints of tension, hidden motives, and wordplay, but it soon wears off. Graham’s character is inconsistent, shifting between being a serious straight man in one scene and acting absurdly in the next. His motivations are unclear, making it hard to understand or relate to him.

The Organist (2024) ‘Sydney Underground’ Movie Review — A still from “The Organist” (2024)

The cannibal character, Jack, casually talks about eating people like it’s just another BBQ with friends and shares this twisted worldview with Graham. Still, its execution gets progressively more clumsy and awkward. Moon brings the real comedy to her character as an HR Manager – feisty, vengeful, and full of sweet but thoughtful corporate lingo. In one scene, Johnny jumps out of Jack’s moving boat into the water like my concentration escaped the film after the first half.

It is only when the movie tries to explore deeper themes — like Riley’s doubts about donating his organs to save a dying girl and Graham’s attempt to bring flowers to one of the persons he had convinced to donate an organ — that you know this film wants to create something bigger and more meaningful. But, the tone and tongue-in-cheek dialogue often make the scenes feel disconnected, making it hard to take the moral questions seriously. The film has taken up too many things to juggle and desperately fails to do so despite having above-average camera work and a solid premise. The ideas feel stretched out. Ultimately, in the final act, the film loses its momentum completely. If this were a short film, I think I would have enjoyed it much, much more.

When I started watching “The Organist” (2024), I sincerely hoped to enjoy it, and I did too. I could see Burkitt’s vision and appreciate the same in parts, but it did not collectively come together for me. It has the aura of a passion project of sorts, and the absurdity of the storyline keeps you hooked till the end, making you wait for a big revelation, which, it turns out, is sheer hopelessness, a Nitzscheian end to a comedy. To enjoy “The Organist,” I recommend you willingly suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow! It bagged Housefull sessions at the Melbourne International Film Festival and shall play at the Sydney Underground Film Festival.