The Legend of Ochi, 2025.
Written and Directed by Isaiah Saxon.
Starring Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Willem Dafoe, Emily, Watson, Razvan Stoica, Carol Bors, David Andrei Baltatu, Andrei Antoniu Anghel, Eduard Mihail Oancea, Tomas Otto Ghela, Eduard Ionut Cucu, and Stefan Burlacu.
SYNOPSIS:
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy girl is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when she discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Somewhere on the Black Island in Carpathia are the mythological Ochi, creatures brought to life with impressive puppetry that even resemble some of the best movies have had to offer (it looks like a cross between a Gremlin and Yoda, but as a monkey), which, in turn, is fitting for writer/director Isaiah Saxon’s The Legend of Ochi, a fantasy adventure film that’s effectively blending as many Amblin storytelling flourishes as it can.
It’s filled with familiarity that would fall in line with A24’s reports of testing the waters branching out into more mainstream fare, but this family-friendly flick, while accessible and appropriate to younger audiences despite the occasional curse word and perilous moment (it does have a PG rating, although less a modern PG and more of a 1990s PG, which, again, fits here), doesn’t have a core demographic of new-age children. It’s for those who grew up with these filmmaking techniques and similar stories. However, there is still a distinct artsy touch, mainly in some sweeping shots of Carpathian roads, foggy skies, overhead views of forests, and caves from cinematographer Evan Prosofsky that fully absorb one into what comes across as anachronistic time and place.
The wardrobes suggest an era long ago, yet the protagonist listens to heavy metal. It’s unclear when this is set, which is also part of the fantastical appeal. Even the culture is thrown out of whack, with our hero coming across a Japanese-themed supermarket in the middle of this island playing cutesy music. With that and themes of dysfunctional families and reconnection alongside the whimsical tone, it’s no surprise this was selected for Sundance. That’s without even getting into the nutty, endearing Willem Dafoe performance as a pro-hunting barbarian encouraging that savagery to his son Petro (Finn Wolfhard), the boy’s friends, and the other children of the land, while dressed up in a medieval get-up-resembling costume that is intentionally ridiculous and poor-quality, as if he were cosplaying like a comic convention was around the corner. Considering the strangeness of this film, there might actually be a comic convention across the street from the Japanese-themed supermarket.
Willem Dafoe’s Maxim is giving chase to his teenage daughter Yuri (Helena Zengol, who once accompanied Tom Hanks spreading news of the world) upon discovering that she has taken off with a baby Ochi, trekking through the territory to bring it back home. Maxim believes these are feral, dangerous creatures that they must hunt and kill off. After regretfully harming the baby Ochi, Yuri learns that her father’s stories were all lies and that the monkeyish creature is harmless. Naturally, she stuffs it in her backpack for the journey.
It’s also evident that Yuri isn’t like her father. She is not a hunter, doesn’t like hurting anything (she prefers tending to creatures of the land, such as caterpillars), and has none of that ferocious, bloodthirsty anger. Her personality is the opposite: timid and eye-contact averse compared to Willem Dafoe, who bugs out and shouts at everyone. Petro isn’t like this either, but he goes along with his father’s crazed barbarism anyway, presumably hoping to make his father proud. Yuri also wonders where her mother (Emily Watson) went after she got fed up with Maxim and abandoned them. These aren’t groundbreaking dynamics, but smaller character details are appreciably handled with nuance among the impressive ensemble.
Despite some overly lengthy, slow stretches and desperately needing more lighthearted fun, the overall mood here is somber. This isn’t necessarily bad, but there’s just no shaking the feeling that it’s missing something to give spark to the adventure. Nevertheless, the quirky touches, lovable Ochi, a refreshingly reliant throwback to practical effects, and a quietly moving climax make The Legend of Ochi worthwhile. It’s a pleasant, sweet breath of fresh air among family-friendly and modern films.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
