Q

Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij on creating a 'labyrinth of mystery' around The OA

The OA's Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij discuss the mystery surrounding the show's sudden release on Netflix.
Netflix's newest series The OA tells the story of a woman who resurfaces after being missing for seven years. (JoJo Whilden/Netflix)

Last week, Netflix dropped a trailer for a new series called The OA. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the show was met with confusion and mystery which only amplifies as people began to tune in to the show's eight episodes.

The show follows a woman named Prairie who goes missing but resurfaces seven years later. Although blind when she first disappeared, Prairie (who goes by "The OA" upon discovery) can see now and she has trouble explaining what happened in the interval years.

While this is a lot of information to take in, creators Brit Marling (who also plays Prairie) and Zal Batmanglij have been working on this story since 2012. Admittedly, they've spent a lot time building this "labyrinth of mystery," according to Marling. Even the signs that led actors to set were in braille. She adds, "It was always shrouded in secrecy."

This ambiguity worked to their advantages though, as Batmanglij explains. "We were an unknown quotient," he says. "We wanted the story to be able to change every hour, we didn't want to be constrained by drawing within the lines."