What a strange, throw-back experience this was.

Yuri, estranged daughter of a man possessed in fighting rare creatures called Ochi, would rather befriend the creatures. When she runs away from home, it becomes a race to protect or destroy the strange creatures.

Debut director Isaiah Saxon brings us this original story The Legend of Ochi, starring Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson. An unorthodox fantasy adventure that feels as remarkable and fresh as it does awkward and disconnected.
Admittedly, I went to see the film because of its advertisements, which looked eerily like they were AI-generated. But a quick bit of research proved this to be untrue. Director Saxon has been on a personal warpath stating that no AI was used in the creation of his movie. Certainly, from having watched the film, this appears to be true. If anything, The Legend of Ochi is a surprisingly natural movie.

The film begins by establishing us with an island in an undisclosed part of the world (or fantasy world). Humans live here and readily live off the land, even while times change. But a mythical creature, the ochi, lives in the forest, and with it comes the fear of attack and the restriction of human expansion. As a result, Maxim (Dafoe) has a personal quest to eliminate them. His daughter Yuri (Zengel) though, an awkward and introverted girl, finds herself fascinated by the creatures.

There’s a real case to sing endless praises for The Legend of Ochi. But there’s unfortunately there’s unavoidable issues that should be expressed if one is to be objective about the experience. The audience I was with were restless during the film. At least two people left. It wasn’t a busy cinema.

Positivity first. The creatures are practical effects. Not since Star Wars: The Force Awakens have I been so happy to see critters who are real. The young ochi who features prominently in the advertisements is certainly not an AI creation; this is real puppet work. Sure, we aren’t getting over the top animated faces and roaring jaws, but what we do get is a groundedness. This little creature is animating and interacting with our protagonist Yuri, and actor Zengel can emote off of it. It really is the simple fact that CGI doesn’t exist and people can’t act as well against it. There were a couple of moments when the little ochi emerges from darkness. Because it was a puppet and on a real set, it looked so captivating.

It has a real sense of being a lost 1980s movie. The film’s slightly grainy, and the credits are in a chunky font. The characters are all eccentrics and the earthy, grounded feel just makes the film feel out of time. It isn’t like any other fantasy movie, not even its contemporary indie ones.

The other interesting element, was the screenplay and cinematography. I could not shake the sensation that this film was inspired by Studio Ghibli animations. The director has not stated any inspirations from the anime scene, but there are some intense similarities. An isolated, quirky, off-kilter society. A theme of nature and man coexisting. People driving around in goofy little cars. Weird costume choices. An estranged protagonist. A parent violently pursuing them. Just the way the film takes moments to soak in nature; if you enjoy woodland walks and appreciating nature, there are some good vibes here.

Honestly, the film is a real testimony to puppet work and practical creature effects (in an age of overabundant CGI) but this could have excelled as an animated movie.

So what’s wrong with it?
It is odd. I wouldn’t qualify this as a children’s film exactly. The ochi, at least in the prologue, are quite scary; depicted as violent ape-like creatures. Willem Dafoe’s character is quite intense, albeit quirky and stupid. Yuri bonds with the ochi over wearing Halloween vampire teeth and mending a bloody wound. Plus the whole film is a cross-country trek in the woods. It is meandering. It is funny but in a very subdued way.
As I said, adults left the cinema (and I didn’t see any kids). This is an A24 production and it shows. The performances are excellent but subdued and odd. These are island folk and the film embraces the weird, but this might alienate some audiences.

But the big issue comes towards the end of the movie. No spoilers, but the film’s light budget really starts to show. There is an “action sequence” (to put it as politely as possible) where the editing just goes completely south in quality. One second a character is on dry land, the next they are neck-deep in water. A second later they are out of the water and bone dry. Another character goes through what looks like a riptide in a river suddenly. But then later it appears they barely moved from where they started.

This whole sequence pulled me right out of the movie. Budget issues, limited CGI, and probably concerns for actors safety as well as limitations on location probably all relevant in this scene. It is grim to knock down something unique for one slip up, but when the film was already a bit odd in character, something wildly incorrect as this just tips it over.

I would recommend it to all cinephiles and perhaps parents who are okay with more challenging material for their kids. It is a unique piece of art and I generally enjoyed it throughout. I hadn’t seen anything like it, and Saxon needs to keep making more movies. We need more creations like this. But there are caveats to its appeal.