The Legend of Ochi
E.T. meets Wes Anderson in Isaiah Saxon’s striking fantasy debut.
Awe and aww: Helena Zengel and one of cinema’s most lovable creations riding piggyback.
Image courtesy of A24.
Following a career directing music videos for artists like Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, and Björk, Isaiah Saxon makes a decisive and welcome leap into feature filmmaking with A24’s The Legend of Ochi. It's an accomplished debut that wears its influences on its sleeve — equal parts Spielbergian wonder and Andersonian quirk — without ever losing its own eclectic voice. The initial trailer garnered protestation over what the internet claimed was generative AI, but as it turns out, just the opposite was true. The artistry behind the camera was painstakingly built by practical effects such as puppetry and more than 200 good old-fashioned matte paintings (an artform that deserves a comeback story). While intense moments could challenge young viewers and the pacing may leave short attention spans squirming in their seats, those that give themselves over to Saxon’s creation will be rewarded with one of the best family films in years.
On the mythical island of Carpathia in the Black Sea, Yuri (Helena Zengel) is raised by her father Maxim (Willem Dafoe) to fear the ominous Ochi — mysterious creatures blamed for plaguing the land. The grizzled Maxim helms a brood of young boys (including an underutilised Finn Wolfhard) in the harsh ways of survival and laments the loss of his wife Dasha (Emily Watson), who seemingly left the family behind. During her first hunt, Yuri stumbles upon an injured baby Ochi — think Gremlins’ Gizmo meets an orangutan — and sets off on a daring quest to return him home, defying everything she’s been taught. From the opening narration over the library’s cryptid text to the inevitable climax, Saxon brings a thoughtful sensibility and a wry, dry humour to the mix. There’s a whisper of fairytale and folklore in every fog-filled frame, and the practical effects concoct a creature so endearing that you can own them in keychain form from the A24 shop.
Helena Zengel, who was exceptional in News of the World and System Crasher, is equally compelling here as a daughter unravelling her parents’ inherited fears, while Dafoe, ever a scene-stealer, offers a version of masculinity that's equal parts performative and quietly broken. The story thrives in its silences, with the sound design leaning heavily into the landscape’s ambient nature. The score swells and subsides like breath, lending a certain tenderness that contrasts with the rugged wilderness. The 1.19:1 frame — an early cinema aspect ratio used on classics like F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise — is rich with stunning imagery from cinematographer Evan Prosofsky. And the production design is crammed with offbeat details like 12-year-old Yuri’s bedroom poster highlighting her favourite Viking metal band, Hell’s Throne. The quiet power of the film arrives as the younger generation questions the divide and ultimately helps to heal the sins of the father. And while the final act buckles slightly, the film never loses its soul. The Legend of Ochi may not reinvent the myth, but it reminds us why we keep returning to it — because when told with this much heart, it still matters.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard, Razvan Stoica, Carol Bors, Andrei Antoniu Anghel, David Andrei Baltatu, Eduard Mihail Oancea, Tomas Otto Ghela, a team of talented puppeteers led by Robert Tygner, and Paul ‘The Birdman’ Manalatos as the voice of the Ochi.
Dir Isaiah Saxon, Pro Traci Carlson, Richard Peete, Isaiah Saxon, Jonathan Wang, Screenplay Isaiah Saxon, Ph Evan Prosofsky, Pro Des Jason Kisvarday, Ed Paul Rogers, Music David Longstreth, Costumes Elizabeth Warn, Sound Brent Kiser.
Access Entertainment/AGBO/Encyclopedia Pictura/IPR.VC/Neighborhood Watch/Year of The Rat-A24 (US), Entertainment Film Distributors (UK).
96 mins. USA/Romania. 2025. US Rel: 25 April 2025. UK Rel: TBD. Cert. PG (US), 12A (UK).
