The Legend of Ochi: A Cool Throwback Lacking Foundation

Much of the adventure genre nowadays has failed to capture the whimsy and purity of the classics of the 1970s and 1980s. As the kind of filmmaking technology available today has grown leaps and bounds since that time, filmmakers have been afforded the opportunity to better execute their respective vision. That being said, it’s easy to get lost in the emerging sea of technology but in doing so, audiences are being pulled further and further away of what many consider, pure, classical filmmaking. Though, where on the spectrum a filmmaker may land on, is often dictated by the budget they must work with. The Legend of Ochi, for the most part, is a film that definitely made the most out of its circumstances to mostly great effect. Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the feature directorial debut of writer/director Isaiah Saxon, harkens back to those aforementioned classics, delivering an effort that is a sight to behold in its simplicity. Not only does it boast its own distinctive style, harnessed from Saxon’s previous experience in the music video space, its reliance on practical effects and stellar puppet work is just so cool in the way it brings all the right vibes. However, where the film does falter is its lack of narrative foundation. A thin story and thin characters hold it back from reaching its true potential. What is sure to be a cult classic either way, that flawed foundation fails to support all of the great things it does do.

The Legend of Ochi marks the second foray from A24 into more PG fare, following 2019’s The Farewell, and follows along the lines of the young character and companion movie. Taking place in a remote village on the island of Carpathia, the film follows Yuri (Zengel), a young girl raised to fear a monkey-like species known as ochi. Her father, Maxim (Dafoe), held some sort of longstanding grudge against the ochi, seeing them as the enemy. Meanwhile, that hatred filtered down to the small army of young boys he trained to be ‘real men,’ becoming a father of sorts to them. Allegedly lacking at home, Maxim trained the boys by hunting ochi, among other things. His indoctrination appeared to be working, from the boys, to Petro (Wolfhard), an orphan left in his care. The exception to this was Yuri. Never having seen one in her life, she did not hold the same views but as far as she was concerned, she did not know any different. Ever since her mother Dasha (Emily Watson) left her at a younger age, she wasn’t quite the same, losing her voice and becoming much more soft-spoken. Her leaving would leave such a void that Maxim did not dare to speak her name.

Largely ignored by her father in favor of his make soldiers, she finally got to join her father, Petro, and the rest of the boys on a hunt where she got to see an ochi for the first time. As the bullets flew and the ochi scurried across trees that were on fire, this harrowing opening act set the tone nicely but the film failed to maintain that momentum until the end. That failure begins with the film’s inability to establish a foundation in order to better understand the characters and the story. Despite its thin characters, Yuri is engaging to watch as she goes about navigating the film’s world, including Carpathia’s vast forests and mountain ranges. That task, however, would become much more complicated (or exciting) upon encountering a wounded baby ochi in the wild. Bringing it back to her hostile home to tend to its wounds, the two quickly formed a bond as Yuri vowed to bring the ochi back to its mother. Going off on their own little adventure, the misfits had their fair share of endearing moments in the midst of being hunted by Maxim, Petro, and the others. The arc of that relationship, as she learned to understand and empathize with the largely misunderstood creature, was the undisputed heart of the film. Running into Dasha along the way, the opportunity for some closure in terms of Yuri and the complicated dynamic of her family was there but was missed. A woman fed up with Maxim’s antics, she left them and made a life for herself, living off the land.

Now it was only a matter of time until all the concerned parties caught up with one another in what would be a beautiful climax but beyond the imagery and score, it left little to no impact whatsoever. The film’s failures in establishing the family dynamic at its core and building a strong narrative foundation are felt the most here. Sure, some audiences may find themselves caring more for its story and characters than others. However, that disconnect is ultimately what holds The Legend of Ochi back from reaching its true potential. As mentioned, leaning heavily on his music video background, the film leans heavily on its score to craft Saxon’s vision across its dialog-free sequences. Perhaps coming on a little too strong more often than not, it will likely be an acquired taste. Similarly, on a technical level, the puppet work used to bring the ochi to life is seemingly effortless to the point that it is easy to forget that they are puppets. In a world full of CGI and other special effects, there is a purity in puppets and puppetry, triggering a powerful nostalgia for the films of yesteryear. An already beautiful to look at cinematography-wise, the puppetry is the cherry on top.

On the performance side, Zengel does a decent job as the lead, as Yuri. Not being consumed by her surroundings, she shines as a teenager broken down by the world around her before finding the courage to finally do something about it. Acting across from a puppet for most of the film, she helps bring that central relationship to life in a compelling way. Dafore has had a long history of characters that are out there, and Maxim is no different. Embracing the camp, his personality and the atmosphere he creates touches on what one would consider as toxic masculinity. Insecure and acting out the perceived slights against him by overcompensating with the masculine angle, his behavior was not rooted in anything substantial. Essentially wacky for wacky’s sake, there’s some entertainment there but it’s hard to care all that much about any of it. In a much different role than what audiences are used to seeing from the actor, Wolfhard’s Petro is subdued to the point of almost not being there at all while Watson shines in a smaller role, as Dasha.

In the end, The Legend of Ochi certainly has its heart in the right place as it wears its inspirations on its sleeve. A throwback in the best ways, it has a style that is very much its own but lacks the foundation needed to truly achieve greatness.

Score: 61/100

*still courtesy of Elevation Pictures*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.