On the fictional island of Carpathia, man lives in fear of the Ochi, reclusive monkey-like creatures. This sweet, telling tale of how children need their parents makes this far out land seem real, touching on humans’ relationship with wild animals and bringing in great technical craftsmanship.
“The Legend of Ochi” follows Yuri (Helena Zengal), a quiet and troubled daughter of an Ochi hunter, who tries to bring a baby Ochi home to its family after a hunt. This film style isn’t anything new, but don’t disregard it. The baby Ochi holds a similar look to Baby Yoda and Stitch where kids will be intrigued but not perturbed by them. The technical side of the film itself seems like a reflection of these misunderstood creatures. They have a vibrant blue and orange coat of fur and make musical clicking sounds while giving you the feeling you get in your stomach while watching an AI video.
The island is lush with its medieval-like villages and homes juxtaposed with automobiles and plastic-looking supermarkets. The collision of the two makes the film more mythic and charming, necessitating comparisons to “The NeverEnding Story.” The score also lends a somewhat unnerving hand to the film that adds to the film’s fantasy elements.
Speaking of “The NeverEnding Story,” it’s important to point out the puppetry in the film. The baby Ochi’s movement is impressively smooth at times. When it’s not, the mechanical nature of it enhances the maternal relationship of Yuri to her apeish companion that couldn’t be replaced by CGI.
Though this is Isaiah Saxon’s major motion picture debut, he is already a seasoned filmmaker with prior experience directing music videos for artists like Björk and Grizzly Bear. In this film, he and cinematographer Evan Prosofsky shine in shots that can be compared to the oil painting-like frames of Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” with every shot being as beautiful and rich as the last. With all of these elements together, “The Legend of Ochi” captures an eerie, unknown land that even kids will be intrigued by. Each shot deserves your attention.
While the movie is a lot of fun with its emotion-filled technicals and dry comical lines, the beats in the story seem a bit jolted. Sloppily-timed edits result in disjointed timing throughout several scenes. While the story’s dialogue is rich, the characters’ voices are sometimes so quiet that it’s hard to decipher what they are saying. This doesn’t help with some of the accents.
With films that exploit Gen Alpha’s brain rot to have no substance but quotable lines, “The Legend of Ochi” is a nice change of pace that all ages can enjoy. Combining gleaming imagery, complex characters and haunting music, the film adds a level of sophistication that sometimes feels out of reach in today’s era of children’s movies.
