Summary
The film opens with the image of doves sitting on a perch. Hugo's voiceover announces that he as "always wanted to fly," and the image quickly changes to a hawk, flying through the gymnasium during a high school basketball game. The Palmetto Grove Hawks win the game after their star, Odin "O" James, scores the winning basket. The next day, at school, Coach Goulding gives a speech in which he says that he loves O as if he were his own son. His actual son, Hugo, looks on from the stands as Goulding awards O Most Valuable Player. O accepts the award and calls up Michael Cassio as his "go-to guy." Hugo is in the audience, visibly upset.
Later that night, at a club, Hugo tells his roommate, Roger, that he can steal O's girlfriend, Desi, by calling Desi's father, Dean Brable, and telling him that O forced himself on Desi. Roger does so, and the next day Dean Brable confronts O. Desi is called into the room, and she tells her father that she and O are dating and that it is "none of [his] business." This scene also reveals that O used to be involved with drugs. Meanwhile, Hugo meets with a drug dealer in a bar, where the dealer shoots him up with performance-enhancing steroids.
O visits Desi one night in her dorm, which she shares with her roommate and Hugo's girlfriend, Emily. O gives Desi a scarf that was his great-grandmother's. O and Desi lay in bed together and discuss their future.
Analysis
The beginning of the film helps establish the major characters, stakes, and conflicts that will influence the rest of the movie. The first scene of the film – which serves as a type of prologue or introduction – features a group of white doves perched in a tower as the voice of Hugo describes his desire to "soar" above everyone else. This scene is significant for many reasons: first, it establishes Hugo as a type of narrator for the film, and it even suggests that Hugo might be the central character rather than the eponymous O. Indeed, many have argued that Shakespeare's Othello (the play on which this film is based) focuses more intently on the complexity of Iago's character rather than Othello's. Second, this scene is also symbolic, as it features a group of peaceful doves who are then interrupted by a flying hawk. The hawk, a bird of prey, represents Hugo and his vicious desire to outdo everyone around him, which manifests as his manipulation of his friend and teammate. This opening image, therefore, establishes the stakes of the plot at the very beginning of the film, ultimately foreshadowing the destruction ahead.
As the plot develops, jealousy becomes a crucial catalyst for Hugo's schemes. At first, Hugo is perturbed by the way O is celebrated after the basketball game – the other players hoist him up and carry him around the gym floor while Hugo looks on. Then, the next day, Hugo's father Coach Goulding announces that he loves O as if he were his own son. This comment stings Hugo, especially given the tense relationship he himself has with his father. Thus, the opening scenes of the film establish O as the protagonist, focusing on his success in basketball, his happy relationship with Desi, and the adoration he receives from everyone at school. At the same time, these scenes show a darker development in Hugo's character, whose jealousy spurs him to start scheming in order to destroy O's reputation. Other characters like Mike, Roger, and Emily play more minor roles at the beginning of the film, but Hugo's deceptive behavior suggests that they will become important pawns in his plot later on.
