Tim Blake Nelson creates a modern retelling of William Shakespeare's Othello. Nelson adapts Shakespeare's original play using a modern (rather than early modern) English script. He also changes the setting of the play from Venice to the United States, situating the main action at a private high school in the present rather than the sixteenth-century Italian city. Despite these major differences, Nelson remains relatively true to the general plot of Othello: he retells the story of how a once-great and celebrated man experiences a major fall, due in part to the vindictive scheming of his supposed friend, Iago, as well as the crippling consequences of his own jealousy.
Nelson uses his camera in subtle ways that enhance the audience's understanding of relationships and deepen the storyline. For example, when Hugo goes to eat dinner with his father in his office, Nelson only shows Hugo through the door frame speaking to his dad, Coach Duke, who is not seen until he exits the room. Then, Nelson brings the camera inside the room where Hugo is alone. This camerawork helps emphasize the fact that Hugo and his father do not have a close relationship, and that Coach Duke is distant and nearly non-existent in his son's life.
Moreover, Nelson composes shots that convey foreshadowing and symbolism within the broader context of the film. He foreshadows O's fall when we see O lying on the gymnasium floor after getting hurt during a game. The paint on the floor is bright red and O's body sprawled against it foreshadows the bloodshed that is to come. Furthermore, when O breaks the backboard and then rips the rim down, his behavior foreshadows the mental breakdown that will eventually lead to his own demise. Finally, Nelson includes a memorable spinning shot of the spiral staircase as the camera moves up the flights of stairs until it reaches Hugo and O. The imagery reveals how complex and uncontrolled Hugo's plan has become, suggesting impending doom for all involved.
