We all search for a sense of belonging – regardless of our background, there is always a desire to find a place where we feel comfortable and safe, whether physically or emotionally. We often find that there are interesting observations made by artists when it comes to exploring this idea, with entire genres being built from the foundation of seeking validation and security through the process of navigating a hostile world. Few have been more effective in examining these ideas than the fantasy genre, where we’ve seen many elements developed to form firm, fascinating allegories for our innate search for meaning and belonging. Isiah Saxon makes his directorial debut with The Legend of Ochi, which explores these same themes in the form of the story of a young girl living in a remote island in what appears to be the aftermath of some cataclysmic global event, and where humans are no longer the apex predator, that role now being occupied by a species of fantastical creatures known as the Ochi, who view humans as their primal enemy. When the protagonist encounters an injured infant of this species, she finds herself refusing to subscribe to the fear instilled in her by elders in her community, and she sets off to find the creature’s family, and in the process, comes to learn much more about their species, as well as her own. A charming and endearing combination of fantasy and familial drama, The Legend of Ochi is certainly a very ambitious film, albeit not one that always finds itself all that capable of handling some of its more unwieldy, complex themes. A bold debut from Saxon, whose skill is impossible to deny, the film ultimately does falter in a few areas where we would expect it to succeed, even if the overall experience does veer towards positive for the most part, if for nothing else than the sheer scope of the production and the willingness from everyone involved to attempt a new kind of storytelling, even with somewhat diminishing returns.

While we can all appreciate a film that refuses to be elusive when it comes to clarifying its core themes and the overall intentions, it does feel somewhat frustrating to have a story in which the themes are so obvious, it comes across as more shallow than anything else. This is the fundamental problem with The Legend of Ochi, a film that spends so much time developing the mythology of the story, but squanders it through constantly referring back to the core ideas that inform the narrative, never truly giving the audience the opportunity to piece the various thematic fragments together. Understandably, this is a film that does aim to be more family-oriented, and having a more convoluted narrative would be a disservice to younger viewers, but its outright refusal to be anything more than a step-by-step account of concepts that we’ve seen many times before does diminish the overall impact. The main propellant for this story is the theme of family, which is obvious from the very first moments – a tightly-knit community fearing the outside world to the point where they develop a hostile relationship with their natural surroundings and the fascinating creatures that linger within. It is also an exploration of a fragmented family, with the patriarch being viewed as a more volatile man who views protecting his family (or the entire community) as being cause for violence, whereas the matriarch is a gentler and more loving individual who prefers to approach the unknown with a sense of curiosity. Once again, these ideas in isolation are not bad, but rather very limited in how they are executed, with the film hammering its themes in too heavily for us to ever feel the wonder and amazement that would come with unearthing these revelations for ourselves. A film that constantly needs to mention its intentions is only partially effective, and does create a more unfortunate, lacklustre experience as a whole.

To his credit, Saxon is a much stronger visual stylist than he is a storyteller, since for every flaw in the narrative (including the dialogue, which is often stiff at the best of times), there is an aspect of the design of the film that gives The Legend of Ochi a very distinct appearance. The filmmaking itself is very good – the world-building was already strong from the outset, but the small details that pulsate throughout the film are what make it such an aesthetically pleasing experience. It is quite innovative for what is evidently an independent feature, and Saxon makes sure that he uses every ounce of resources that he had at his disposal in constructing the film, at least visually. There is a notable use of CGI, but it’s far more subtle and is restricted to the elements that cannot be created practically, such as the design of the creatures, which are striking enough to be worth the price of admission alone. The cinematography by Evan Prosofsky is wildly impressive, with the vibrant colours, unique framing and overall attention to detail making The Legend of Ochi a far more well-crafted film than we may imagine. It has become easier than ever for independent filmmakers to develop epics, which is a promising sign for the future of the industry, particularly since the belief that only major studios with unlimited budgets have the monopoly on certain genres – this film proves that all one needs is a good idea and some smart use of resources to create something that is as visually striking as anything produced by larger studios. Even if we only approach The Legend of Ochi as a film in which the visuals are the primary attraction, we still find a lot of enjoyment in how Saxon creates this story, indicating that, despite all of its flaws, it remains remarkably entertaining, having a consistency and elegance in its design that outweighs its more troubling narrative and thematic shortcomings.

Despite this being a debut, Saxon can enlist quite an impressive cast to bring these characters to life, and their willingness to leap into the unknown allows the film to earn a sense of increased prestige, which may not have been possible with lesser-known actors. Helena Zengel, who has certainly already proven herself with performances in films like System Crasher and News of the World, once again delivers a complex, nuanced portrayal of a young woman adrift in a world she has never truly understood. Much of her performance here (as with her previous work) is built from her incredible expressivity – she’s more effective when it comes to communicating without words, her command of non-verbal cues being very well-utilised by Saxon in the process of creating this character. Considering she spends most of the film acting across from a character created using technology, her ability to still emote as if she were sharing the screen with another actor is very impressive. The same can be said for Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson (and to a lesser degree Finn Wolfhard, as his character is not particularly important and doesn’t have any legitimate reason to be included in the film), who lend themselves to the film, earning it not only a layer of increased attention, but also showing their willingness to work with a young director, helping him realise his vision. It’s predictable work from both of them – Dafoe a vaguely sinister villain, Watson a gentler and more compelling sage that guides the protagonist on her journey – but they’re both terrific, and bring a lot of nuance to a film that desperately needed actors of their calibre to sell some of the more unconvincing moments. The dialogue is sometimes quite clunky, so the actors are responsible for making it seem believable, and the results are understandably quite strong, even if their good work doesn’t quite provide the reprieve we desperately needed from the film.

As a whole, The Legend of Ochi is a film that is perhaps most accurately described as being halfway to greatness. Considering it is a debut, we can be slightly more lenient, especially since the ambition behind the film is more than enough to draw our attention, and its very clear that Saxon is a gifted filmmaker, and someone who most certainly does have a masterpiece within him, it just unfortunately didn’t emerge in his first feature-length outing. The film isn’t quite sure of who its audience is, and struggles to decide whether it will target younger people or go for a more mature viewership, the ambiguity between them being the reason the film falters so frequently and doesn’t ever quite achieve the expected results. Despite these complaints, The Legend of Ochi is still worth the time of anyone who wants to see an original, daring work of fantasy that doesn’t rely on much previous knowledge (and considering it is not based on existing property, the director deserves kudos for making something wholeheartedly original), and instead invites the viewer on a visually stunning, exciting journey, a diversion from reality that still has a lot of relevance and resonance, only concealed under layers of fantasy that are relatively easy to decode. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a solid start to what we can imagine will be a strong career that will only continue to develop and grow as time progresses.