Director: Isaiah Saxon
Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe
Screenplay: Isaiah Saxon
95 mins. Rated PG for violent content, a bloody image, smoking, thematic elements and some language.

After coming out of my screening for the new A24 film, marketed as its first family film, I had just one question: Ochi Plush, when?

Set in a small village on the island of Carpathia, a quiet girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel, News of the World) has been taught by her community, particularly her father Maxim (Willem Dafoe, American Psycho) to fear the dangerous and terrifying creatures referred to as ochi. She’s been trained to weed out and kill these creatures, but when she finds a baby ochi, its leg stuck in a trap, she decides to help it find its home, turning her back on everything and everyone she knows.

The Legend of Ochi carries a number of inspirations on its sleeve, most notably Amblin films like E.T. and more recent fantasy works like How to Train Your Dragon, but I got a very specific vibe from the film. Throughout its run time, I was consistently convinced that this was a very Out-Of-Print Live-Action 1970s Disney film from their wilder years. It’s not afraid to get creepy and gross, but writer/director Isaiah Saxon has perfectly captured the tone of a type of film we rarely get anymore and, outside of having notable current actors like Dafoe and Finn Wolfhard (It), The Legend of Ochi feels pulled out of another time.

There’s some terrific puppetry at play here, the ochi creatures so well put-together, so believable. I know they don’t exist, but I’m also less sure of that after having seen the movie. The creature design and world-building of The Legend of Ochi is the #1 reason to nab a ticket.

The performances are impressive, but I do wish there was a little more meat to the story. At times, the screenplay gets a little surface-level, and seasoned actors like Dafoe (wouldn’t be an A24 film without a perfectly screamed Willem Dafoe speech) and Emily Watson (Corpse Bride) do a lot with the material, but I couldn’t find myself connecting to the characters much. Its themes are well-established and universal (hate is learned, and it can be very difficult for some to unlearn it), but I think the world Saxon’s created deserved a bit more complexity and depth for the characters.

The Legend of Ochi is a delightfully weird, occasionally gross, and wholly beautiful experience. It’s incredible that this is a first-time feature director behind the camera, and his attention to detail in crafting this world and adventure is admirable, even if the narrative and characters feel light on definition. I’ll be more than happy to see this movie again when it releases, and hopefully I’ll have an ochi plush when I do. Seriously, A24, get on that.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe