‘The Legend of Ochi' movie review: Sweet, simple, stunning dive into the meaning of life
The Legend of Ochi, Isaiah Saxon's feature film debut, which he has also written, is a simple story, marvelously told with a breathtaking mix of location-shooting, puppetry, animatronics, computer animation and matte paintings. The fantasy film uses a whimsical palette to tell its tale of acceptance and family.
Yuri (Helena Zengel) is a lonely girl living on a farm in the Carpathian Mountains with her father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe). Though Yuri misses her mother, Dasha (Emily Watson), Maxim insists she left them, and it is no use Yuri trying to find her. After his parents' death, Petro (Finn Wolfhard) also stays with them. Yuri has always been told to stay home at night, away from the Ochi, the vicious beasts of the jungle laying waste to people and livestock alike.
Maxim trains the boys of the village to be clever hunters of the Ochi. When Yuri finds a baby Ochi with its leg in a trap, she decides to take it back to its people. Along the way, there are dangers and discoveries aplenty, including a bite getting infected. Maxim does not want to believe Yuri left of her own accord, preferring to believe she was taken by the Ochi and mounts a rescue for his daughter.
The Legend of Ochi (English)
Director: Isaiah Saxon
Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe
Runtime: 95 minutes
Storyline: In the remote Carpathian highlands, terrorised by vicious beasts called the Ochi, a girl finds a baby Ochi and determines to get it home to its family
Shot on location in Transylvania, The Legend of Ochi makes one want to grab a plane, hare it to the Apuseni Mountains, and count stars by the Bâlea Lake, a glacier lake in Central Romania. Dasha's cottage, which looks foreboding and enigmatic, proves to be a refuge for Yuri and the Ochi and also where she learns of her roots.
As Maxim puts on his ridiculous helmet and armour, one thinks of Don Quixote and tilting against the windmills. Dafoe is a master at creating these damaged characters, with an altered sense of reality, while Watson is her competent self as the wise woman of the woods. Wolfhard does not have much to do except silently stand and absorb everything with his big, dark eyes.
The visual effects and puppet work (seven performers worked on the baby Ochi) are outstanding. The sequence at the supermarket, out of which Yuri and the Ochi break out dramatically on a shopping trolley, is a fun one. The majestic mountains, the still lakes, the lonely sheep and solitary cars puttering away on narrow mountain roads all contribute to the fairytale feeling of a land time forgot. Saxon — who has directed music videos for Icelandic singer Björk and American rockers Grizzly Bear — uses music and silence effectively in The Legend of Ochi, making it that rare beast, a quiet children's film!
The Legend of Ochi is currently running in theatres
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Ed Sheeran to make a comeback on ‘Kapil Show,' Netflix drops update; excited netizens buzz: ‘Sitaare Zameen Par'
The Great Indian Kapil Show is gearing to bring back music mogul Ed Sheeran almost after a year. After cheering the audience in episode 8 of Season 1, 'Perfect' singer is prepared to lift the banner higher this time. Netflix on June 22 dropped a teaser of the upcoming episode featuring the 34-year-old singer singing in Hindi. The streaming giant in a post on Instagram stated, 'Cham cham chamke sitare have come, The Great Indian Kapil Show.' Next episode is set to stream on Saturday, June 28, on the OTT platform at 8:00 PM. As Kapil marks his return with signature comic timing and celebrity interactions, the short clip revealing Ed Sheeran's return has increased the excitement for the hilarious drama. Social media users were in a frenzy as a user remarked, 'Sitaare Zameen Par.' Another user quipped, 'Bhai vo English bhul jayega (Brother, he will forget English).' A third user stated, 'Epic.' A fourth user commented, 'Give him the Aadhar card already.' A fifth user joked, 'Better than Sapphire.' Another comment read, 'Sunil can do anything wid any celebrity even he's ed sheeran[sic].' The first episode of latest season of Kapil Sharma's comedy talk show opened with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan which dropped on Netflix on June 21. The hit comedy talk show has come up with new twists, celebrity guests and hilarious antics this time, set to win hearts again. The latest season returned with OG cast, featuring Kapil Sharma, Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Archana Puran Singh and Krushna Abhishek. This time Navjot Singh Sidhu and Archana Puran Singh have come together as panellists to bring daily dose of comedy to the screens. Other celebrities joining 'The Great Indian Kapil Show' in the upcoming episodes are Diljit Dosanjh, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, among others.
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Meet boy, 19, who speaks 46 languages, writes 400, not from US, UK, Europe, Dubai, China, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, he is from..., name is...
Meet boy, 19, who speaks 46 languages, writes 400, not from US, UK, Europe, Dubai, China, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, he is from..., name is... There's no doubt that some kids are naturally gifted and learn wonderful things at a young age; for example, at 19 years old, Mahmood Akram is doing something incredible! While most teenagers are thinking about college or hobbies, Mahmood can speak 46 languages fluently and read, write, and type in over 400! Notably, Akram is not from the US, China, Japan, or Europe; he is from India. He hails from… Mahmood Akram, a linguistic prodigy hailing from Chennai, India, came from a household where language was part of everyday life. Akram's father, Shilbee Mozhippriyan, who speaks 16 different languages, instilled a curiosity about words, scripts in Akram from an early age. As he was presented with various forms of alphabets and dialects, he was able to forge an immense passion for languages early on due to his inspiring multilingual father. Akram started to learn Tamil and English at 4 At the young age of 4, Akram started to learn Tamil and English, and he stunned his parents by learning English in six days. By the age of 6, he had learned old Tamil scripts like Vatteluttu, Grantha, and Tamizhi and had surpassed his father's knowledge. 'My journey started at the age of four. My parents began teaching me Tamil and English alphabets, and I mastered the English alphabet in six days. They were astonished,' says Akram adding that he learnt the 299 alphabets of Tamil in just three weeks. Learned 50 languages by 8 years old According to a report from Zee News, Akram was not only speaking in several languages, but he was also writing and even typing in several scripts. Akram had learned 50 languages by the time he was 8 years old, with books, a website called Omniglot. Some people have even compared Akram's brain to a supercomputer based on his ability to learn and piece together languages! Typed India's National Anthem in 20 different languages When Akram was 8 years old, he set a world record as the youngest person to type in two languages. At 10 years old, he typed India's National Anthem in 20 different languages in less than an hour. This record-breaking achievement granted Akram another world record and the highly regarded German Young Talent Award. He is now… Akram's remarkable skill has been showcased on a global stage. Following a talent show win, Akram was awarded a scholarship to study at Danube International School in Vienna, Austria. Currently, he is pursuing several degrees in India and the UK. Despite the fact that he knows many languages, he cites Tamil as his favourite. He stated, 'It's my mother tongue and closest to my heart.'
NDTV
13 hours ago
- NDTV
"Did A Lot Of Gymnastics...": Ex-Cricketers React To Rishabh Pant's Viral Somersault Celebration
Swashbuckling India batter Rishabh Pant's perfect somersault after smashing a breathtaking century in the first Test against England has caught the fancy of his legion of fans, while former players felt the acrobatic act that has since gone viral was a statement of his "unique" ways. Pant hit an entertaining 178-ball 134, his seventh Test ton, as India amassed 471 against England under new skipper Shubman Gill on Day 2 of the opening Test here on Saturday. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said Pant probably had been doing gymnastics from a very young age. "Nothing wrong in that. That's him. Let him be. You know, he's different. At a very young age, he did a lot of gymnastics," said the cricketer-turned-commentator. "Even if I might have tried it, I think I might have... (but) it would have been to go into the pool," Shastri joked in a video posted by BCCI. Pant was involved in a horrific car accident in 2022, which left him grievously injured and his return to professional cricket is one of the most heartwarming stories in sport. To perform a somersault like that after undergoing several surgeries is indeed awe-inspiring. "Rishabh being Rishabh, he does something unique. He does it really well. I think it was unique. No one expected him to do that. I've never tried it. I'll need a lot of practice because that is something if you haven't tried, you can't do it," said India batter Cheteshwar Pujara. Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik said he was in awe of Pant, as the wicketkeeper-batter was made of a different stuff. "Neither could I do the somersault like him, nor can I bat like him. I think on both fronts (keeping and batting) he has exceeded expectations. It's quite an effort to do that, actually. And he does it consistently," said Karthik, himself a wicketkeeper-batter. "When I was very young, my parents did make me participate in gymnastics and I did try and I was an utter failure at that. So, let's just leave it there because he (Pant) is doing it so much nicer when he celebrates it," added Karthik. "I think I've never seen anything like that in my life. With pads on as well. Amazing," said an English fan.
