The Legend of Ochi Review
The Legend of Ochi is an invitation to unlock the imagination and experience something more. In this feature film debut from writer-director Isaiah Saxon, this coming-of-age tale uses its visuals to great effect, crafting a world that plunges us into the possibilities of magic and something more. At the heart of it resides a tale of acceptance and longing, even if the thin story overestimates its strength along the way.
The Legend of Ochi is set on the fictional island of Carpathia, where the relationship between nature and humanity is still mostly harmonious, apart from the Ochi. The young Yuri (Helena Zengel) is trapped in stasis, living with her charismatic, yet fearful father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe), and her quiet adopted brother, Petro (Finn Wolfhard).
Maxim commands a team of young boys, training them to fear the Ochi just as he fears them. This obsession pushes Yuri away, isolating her from what she knows. With no mother around to fill the gaps, the teenager steadily loses her voice, often drowned out by her father’s exuberance. That is, until she meets an injured baby Ochi.
Hoping to reunite the creature with its family, Yuri and the baby venture into the wilderness. Along the way, this relationship between humans and the other unlocks something in both of them, pushing Yuri to rediscover what home is supposed to be.
The Legend of Ochi is undeniably magical. You feel it across every frame, using color, scale, and sound to support the visually lush world Saxon and his collaborators have crafted here. Cloaking Zengel’s Yuri in a signature bright yellow jacket allows us to never lose sight of her in the cooler-toned landscape, consistently reminding us of Yuri’s main character status.
It can be easy to forget that, sometimes, in Zengel’s restrained performance. As the muffled, introverted teenager, there are moments where Yuri almost disappears from view. Working off the scene-commanding Dafoe earlier in the film, it’s easy for any actor to be drowned out, making Dafoe a wise casting choice. It isn’t until Zengel’s Yuri separates herself from the herd that she can shine, and we’re reminded of how much the girl has lost in the process.
The baby Ochi is key to this process and, subsequently, a major part of the film’s success. The Legend of Ochi rides on the design and interactivity of this creature’s design. It’s easy to see why many have compared it to something out of a Studio Ghibli film. Inspired by the Golden Snub-nosed monkey and fused with some vampiric traits (if you look closely, you can see it in its nose and bat-like ear design), this little guy deserves all the love.
Yet, the design is not enough to sell the magic. No, it’s the approach Saxon takes to bring it to life that hammers it home. By choosing a more practical route over entirely relying on VFX, the Ochi feels more realized. This is shown in how it interacts with characters onscreen, but also in how it moves separately from everything. The texture of the fur, the jerkiness of its hands, or particularly when it crawls, allows the audience’s eyes and imagination to fully invest in this creature’s existence.
What is difficult to invest in sometimes is the film’s story. The Legend of Ochi struggles to maintain the momentum of its hero’s journey format, even losing it on occasion when things should be moving onward and upward. The familial conflict between Maxim, Yuri, and her mother, Dasha (played effortlessly well by Emily Watson), is roughly executed and sometimes unclear. Given its importance in the second act, a little more finessing could have strengthened this plot component.
There’s also the matter of Petro’s character, or the lack thereof. This role does not highlight Wolfhard’s range in the slightest. It’s a softer role in approach, but there are hardly any moments where Petro gets his moment to shine. Instead, he’s almost a figurehead, a seemingly gallant would-be-hero on his horse, riding into battle with his father. His growth is muted, overpowered by the grander picture of familial reconciliation.
That is the point of The Legend of Ochi—reconciliation with family and the journey it takes to get there. Through gorgeously crafted landscapes and following the cooing melody of the film’s fantasy creatures, the journey is long and fraught with uncertainty. However, it can be magical and remind us of what we once held dear to our hearts.
Even if the story itself could have used a bit of work, The Legend of Ochi is an excellent tableau, cluing us into the mind and ingenuity of first-time feature-filmmaker Isaiah Saxon. With an emphasis on thought-provoking visuals that sweep us away in its fantasy, I immediately want to see what else Saxon can bring.
THE LEGEND OF OCHI REVIEW SCORE: 7 OUT OF 10
The Legend of Ochi opens in limited theaters on Friday, April 18, and will expand nationwide on Friday, April 25. The film is rated PG for violent content, a bloody image, smoking, thematic elements, and some language.
