But those who persevere and stick with "Oleanna" will likely be intrigued by the thought-provoking issues raised by Mamet in this movie adapted from his own play. The idea here is to offer a deliberately ambiguous look at sexual harassment, to compel the audience to make up its own mind about what it is seeing on the screen.
The story is simple enough: A college professor is approached by a student who is having difficulty in his class. At first he tells her there is nothing he can do, but as she persists, he is apparently touched by her naivete and decides to give her a break in the form of personal tutoring sessions.
Later, she meets with him again, and we find that she has filed a complaint against him, alleging sexual misconduct. She claims he offered to give her an A in the class in exchange for clandestine meetings. Even the professor seems unsure of what has happened and begins to question himself.
Still later, when they meet a third time, the professor is a wreck, his life in ruins as his student accuses him of attempted rape. Their subsequent conversation sheds new light on the situation but little on the truth of guilt or innocence. At least, that appears to be the idea.
Were the teacher's motives as pure as he insists, or did the student simply pick up on his true intentions and foil them before he could fully act on them? That seems to be the challenge to the audience throughout this exercise.
But in truth, for me at least, the evidence presented in the film never really falls in the middle. As "Oleanna" progresses, it seems apparent that the professor - whatever was in his mind - did nothing wrong. The student seems to be deliberately attacking him for the sake of a cause provoked by others. In the final scene, however, there is an explosion of violence, which, I assume, is meant to turn the tide and make us question our initial assumptions. For me, however, it just seemed contrived and unpersuasive.
The performances by William H. Macy, a Mamet regular ("Homicide," "House of Games," "Things Change"), and newcomer Debra Eisenstadt, are very good. But, again, Mamet requires their dialogue exchanges to be purposely artificial, as they step on each other's questions and answers. It takes some getting used to, and impatient viewers may never get used to it.
Personally, I loved both "House of Games" and "Things Change" but would put "Oleanna" lower on the Mamet scale of cinematic achievements. Fans will want to take a look, of course, and perhaps those who care about theater. Others should consider themselves warned.
"Oleanna" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for some profanity and a scene of violence.