Directed by Tim Blake Nelson • 2001 • United States
Starring Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles

Director Tim Blake Nelson daringly transplants Shakespeare’s “Othello” to a modern American high school for a provocative, powerfully acted tale of jealousy and betrayal. O is Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), the school’s star basketball player and NBA hopeful. He has the adoration of all, including the team’s coach (Martin Sheen) and the dean’s beautiful daughter, Desi (Julia Stiles). Odin’s troubled friend Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach’s son, is deeply resentful of his father’s favoring of Odin on and off the court. When Hugo plots a diabolical scheme to sow the seeds of mistrust between O and Desi, the stage is set for tragedy.