Willem Dafoe and his adopted teenage son hunt a pack of mysterious primates, but his headstrong daughter isn’t sure the creatures are an actual threat inThe Legend of Ochi, a dazzling fantasy adventure that hearkens back to classic children’s stories.Writer and director Isaiah Saxon displays tremendous filmmaking acumen in a solidly entertaining feature debut.His amazing settings and surprisingly humorous script are only surpassed by top-notch puppetry, animatronics, and CGI that breathe life into the fascinating Ochi. The critters are adorable but aren’t cuddly pets in a thoughtful parable about confronting fears and ignorance.
Set sometime in the early ’80s on a remote and mountainous Black Sea island of Carpathia, Yuri (a superb Helena Zengel) lives with her father, Maxim (Dafoe), and brother of sorts, Petro (Finn Wolfhard), in a hardscrabble existence. They sip potato soup and listen to the radio while sheltering inside from the cold. Maxim has been tasked by the villagers with organizing all the local boys into a hunting party. He’s obsessed with finding and killing the Ochi hiding somewhere in the dense forests.
A Stunning Journey for All Ages
The Legend of Ochi
The Legend of Ochi follows a young girl named Yuri from a remote northern village who seeks to reunite a lost baby ochi with its family. Venturing beyond her village and confronting her fears, Yuri embarks on an extraordinary journey among the mysterious creatures of the surrounding forest.
Yuri, just like the other kids, has never actually seen an Ochi. She watches as Maxim straps the children with guns and leads them on a dangerous nighttime mission.Yuri sings Carpathian folk songs while regaling the strapped youth with tales of Ochi misdeeds.They are evil and merciless creatures responsible for every ill that bedevils their community. They must be wiped out or there will never be peace on the island.
Yuri, who loves ’80s death metal, isn’t enthralled by her father’s fevered ranting. She’s already skeptical of everything that comes out of his mouth. What happened to her mother (Emily Watson)? Why did she leave her as an infant? The hunt begins in earnest as strange and musical howls ripple through the trees.Yuri spots something small and furry as the angry hunters open fire.
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The Legend of Ochigrabs your attention from the opening frame with incredible cinematography.Saxon, known for his animation studio Encyclopedia Pictura, music videos, and short films, does a banner job of establishing a breathtaking setting. The camera swoops across the ocean, over majestic mountain peaks, and through deep valleys to illustrate the difficult terrain. He also shoots his characters at sloped angles, so it always looks like they are hiking or going up a hill. Your thrust into the Caucasus as pastoral farming villages and sheep dot the countryside. Saxon makes it clear why the Ochi are nearly impossible to detect.
The introduction of the Ochi is also brilliantly handled. We get snippets of them in the introductory first act with no real clue if they’re Yuri’s deadly monsters. That changes when the plot kicks into gear as Yuri gets up close and personal with an infant. Think of a cute gremlin with a monkey’s body, blue face, wide eyes, and a snub nose.Saxon smartly doesn’t give the Ochi any magical powers or mystical origins.They’re animals, intelligent and cautious, but also formidable in their own right.
Yuri’s New Friend
Maxim’s searing hatred of the Ochi is the primary arc that drives Yuri’s curiosity. Saxon crafts her as an independent girl wary of superstition. She’s unhappy with her father for reasons that become clear as the narrative progresses. Maxim isn’t abusive or excessively strict, but she’s not sure if he’s being honest about their current situation. Petro, on the other hand, accepts Maxim’s teachings as incontrovertible truth. He deeply cares for his adopted sister, but she lumps him in the same category as her father. Yuri’s responses to them both are hilarious. She’s both skeptical and bitingly sarcastic.
Saxon’s production design is key to the film’s realism.The islands' old homes, their Soviet-era cars, and wooly clothes sell an insular society cut off from the modern world. It’s interesting just to see the characters interact with their environment. A memorable scene has Yuri getting into big trouble at a supermarket that could have been cut out of a Communist lifestyle magazine. It makes sense that these people are innately fearful and mistrustful of their mostly unseen neighbors. Saxon’s lesson here is that demonizing the unknown leads to the worst outcomes. Yuri and her mother, the venerable Emily Watson introduced in the second act, are outliers willing to view the Ochi in an open way to form a starkly different opinion.
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The Legend of Ochiis an early contender for visual effects accolades. The puppetry is truly exceptional. Yuri’s interaction with a baby Ochi will fill your heart with joy. She discovers the animal’s true nature by being kind and observant of its needs. This doesn’t go smoothly because every wild creature must be treated carefully. Saxon isn’t portraying a girl cuddling a playful kitten. A lion cub is cute AF but can bite your fingers off with carelessness. This doesn’t mean they’re bloodthirsty.Saxon teaches Yuri empathy and awareness on her Ochi adventure.
The film absolutely delights except for one minor quibble about the pacing and perceived distances.The Legend of Ochisuffers fromTheLord of the Rings’syndrome where characters are seen walking endlessly, and then somehow appear exactly at their intended location without any real guidance. This happens repeatedly in an unforgiving place that’s supposed to be nearly impenetrable. Maybe I missed some important exposition, but I am honestly clueless about how Yuri finds anything.
The Legend of Ochiis a production of A24, AGBO, and Encyclopedia Pictura et al. It premieres on January 26th at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.The Legend of Ochi’s theatrical release has unfortunately been delayed because of the wildfires in Los Angeles. It is now slated for April 25th national distribution from A24.
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