“The Legend of Ochi” is a quirky, adventurous fable about a misunderstood teenage girl on a perilous quest, evoking the feeling of a film you might have discovered and adored as a child. It’s the kind of movie that feels tactile and magical, perhaps even a little risky—the type you weren’t supposed to watch yet but couldn’t resist. These are the films that leave a lasting impression, like that strange English dub of Shipwrecked I once caught on the Disney Channel at an impressionable age.
This sense of discovery was something particularly special to those who grew up in the pre-social media days, where the movies you loved felt like your personal treasure. It wasn’t until later that you realized everyone else loved them too, whether it was Star Wars or The NeverEnding Story.
The Legend of Ochi is clearly made by someone (Isaiah Saxon) who grew up in this pre-digital world—a millennial influenced by films like E.T., The Black Stallion, and the Palm Pictures’ Directors Label box set. This era taught cinephiles about the mesmerizing possibilities of music videos created by directors like Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry, for artists such as Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, and Björk (for whom Saxon directed the Wanderlust video). That music video-inspired energy and world-building is evident in Ochi, for better or worse.
Helena Zengel, known for News of the World, plays the central character, Yuri, a teenage girl who lives with her father Maxim (Willem Dafoe) and a de facto brother Petro (Finn Wolfhard) on the secluded island of Carpathia. Maxim, a hunter of Ochi—a dangerous species of primates that threaten humans and their farms—has trained an army of young boys to help with the hunt. Yuri, in contrast, is largely kept out of the action, both for her safety and possibly because Maxim, a boisterous, alpha male, prefers to do things in his elaborate, ancient armor. Yuri, by comparison, wears a worn, oversized yellow puffer jacket that could double as a sleeping bag. At home, she broods silently and listens to death metal.
Though it might be a typical trope for a girl raised without a mother, Zengel makes the character of Yuri believable. While she clearly doesn’t fit in with her world, she finds a sense of purpose when she stumbles upon an injured baby Ochi and decides to return it to its family. Through this journey, she discovers that the Ochi have been misunderstood as well.
Her quest is fraught with danger, including a comedic and somewhat gross visit to a local supermarket, a discovery of her long-lost mother (Emily Watson), and a fierce, funny confrontation between Watson and Dafoe. David Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors composed the imaginative score, while Evan Prosofsky’s cinematography brings the world of Ochi vividly to life.
The Legend of Ochi is inspired by a variety of influences, from Miyazaki to Amblin films, and it represents a kind of bold storytelling that Hollywood rarely attempts today—especially with a PG rating. However, it’s not without its flaws. While the humor feels authentic, the emotional moments don’t always resonate as deeply. Nonetheless, the film’s creativity, imagination, and attention to detail are impressive, especially considering it was made on a modest $10 million budget, incorporating puppetry, matte paintings, and inventive graphics.
The Legend of Ochi is an A24 release, hitting theaters nationwide on Friday. It is rated PG for “some language, smoking, a bloody image, thematic elements, and violent content.” The film runs for 96 minutes and earns three stars out of four.
