Puppet movements as a main element of cinema. Review of the film The Legend of Ochi

The A24 film studio has gained notoriety thanks to unusual works that feel like a breath of fresh air against the backdrop of ordinary Hollywood films. At the same time, the company's films raise serious topics and are quite unceremonious towards the audience, so it's better not for children to watch them. So the phrase "family cinema from A24" may sound a little crazy.

However, The Legend of Ochi is exactly the kind of family movie from A24 that someone has been missing. Don't look for a deep dive into Ukrainian culture or any revelations in it, but it tells about eternal values beautifully. And the main decoration of the film is a cute little monster, all of whose movements are made without the use of computer graphics - and this approach is fascinating.

The girl Yulia (Helena Zengel) lives in a small settlement in the middle of the Carpathians, which suffers from attacks by powerful creatures called eyes. Yulia's father Maxim (Willem Dafoe) is obsessed with these creatures and trains other children to be able to skillfully destroy any eyes. However, the main character does not have such an unambiguous attitude towards the situation. And when she finds a small baby eye, she decides to go on a journey to return it home.

Everything about the historical and cultural truthfulness of the film becomes clear from the very first scene, when it turns out that the Carpathians in the film are a separate island in the middle of the ocean. The word "Carpathians" is absent from the English title of the film at all, and filming was not carried out on the territory of Ukraine. Therefore, the emphasis on Ukrainian culture is more of a marketing trick of domestic marketers and distributors. And this moment may cause an ambiguous perception when watching. Although, truth be told, the name Carpathia is really used in the film, the characters have Ukrainian names, and part of the filming took place in the Romanian Carpathians - Apuseni.

On the one hand, we observe a generalized and neutral image of the very conventional life of the inhabitants of the high Carpathians, with old houses and vulgar manners. On the other hand, some elements of life are still recognizable as native, and when Defoe's character starts singing in Ukrainian "I would take a bandura", somehow it is impossible to be critical and cold about it. The selection of music in Ukrainian in The Legend of Ochi turned out to be surprisingly successful. And although some may not like such a setting, which simply looks interesting and unusual in the minds of American viewers, I rather have a positive attitude towards even such manifestations of Ukrainian culture.

However, the film did not set itself the goal of immersing people in the nuances of life in the middle of the Carpathians. First of all, this is a family film about overcoming differences both within the family and between entire species. Much has been said about this in a variety of formats, and The Legend of Ochi is unlikely to add anything new here. The script in the film turned out to be formulaic, and the audience will almost immediately understand what and how will happen. However, eternal values are eternal in order to remain relevant through the years and generations, and overall the story is staged well enough to move and even cause tears in the finale.

The trailer may give the impression that The Legend of Ochi is also an unusual fantasy adventure. For this, the film has both an unusual companion and a clear motivation for the journey. However, this is no The Neverending Story, you should not expect pathos, unusual situations, bright heroes and any other attributes of an epic adventure. The Legend of Ochi focuses precisely on the relationship between Yulia - who, by the way, was originally signed as Yuri, don't ask - and a little Ochi.

The realization of the monster on the big screen hides the main feature of the film, which will be especially relevant against the background of the dominance of CGI in cinema. The eyes are not a 3D model, but a full-fledged doll, for whose movements live people were responsible. Because of this, the creature moves in an unnatural and non-standard, but fabulous way. The very case when the imperfection of the methods of bringing ideas to life creates real art. Looking at the eyes does not get boring until the credits, and many scenes are completely built taking into account the idea that the monster is the main star of the film.

The credits themselves also come quickly enough. An hour and a half doesn't feel like a long time at all. However, director Isaiah Saxon, for whom The Legend of Ochi was his first full-length film, seemed to clearly understand what he was counting on and how he wanted to communicate with the audience. He and his team made a simple movie with a moral of the level of Lilo & Stitch, which at the same time cannot be called too childish. It is a rare case when a family movie gives the same level of immersion and pleasure for different categories of viewers, and is not limited exclusively to individual jokes and hints for adults.

Of the cast, Willem Dafoe's character comes to mind. The actor has once again transformed into an almost crazy character, to whom one still feels sympathy. Helena Zengel and Emily Watson also play well, and together the trio creates an interesting image of a dysfunctional family, which is still trying to come to an understanding in small steps. But the other actors are not memorable and resemble more like extras. Finn Wolfhard was especially unlucky with this, his character could create interesting plot contrasts, but in the finale he never gets a worthy moment of glory.

The Legend of Ochi will make you think of family films of the 1980s, when they were more frank, straightforward, and unafraid to openly show unpleasant moments. Its down-to-earth script and directorial methods may seem outdated in 2025. But such an approach at the same time becomes the film's main treasure.