After many months of waiting for The Legend of Ochi to come out in the UK, it has finally been released. The Legend of Ochi is a 2025 fantasy adventure film, directed and written by Isaiah Saxon. This is Saxon’s film debut as a director/writer. The film stars Helena Zengel (who plays Yuri), Finn Wolfhard (who plays Petro), Emily Watson (who plays Dasha) and Willem Dafoe (who plays Maxim). The film came out in April in the United States, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately due to distribution and licensing issues, the movie was unable to come out in the UK. Similarly, Saxon has had personal issues which has prevented the release of the movie further.
The Legend of Ochi begins with us meeting a group of hunters led by Maxim (played by Willem Defoe). He has assembled a group of young boys from the village to team up and fight the Ochi. Ochi are mythical, monkey-like creatures that reside in the forest. At night, they come out and kill animals from nearby farms. Because of this, humans enforce a curfew and live in fear of the Ochi monsters. Maxim has another reason for wanting the Ochi dead: he blames them for his wife leaving him and his daughter, Yuri (played by Helena Zengel). Yuri lives with her father, Maxim, and her adopted brother, Petro (played by Finn Wolfhard). Unfortunately, Yuri and Maxim have a strained relationship, which ultimately leads to an argument. Maxim then demands that Yuri check the traps to see if they’ve caught any Ochi, so she heads into the forest.
Once in the forest, Yuri unexpectedly comes across an injured baby Ochi that had been caught in a trap the night before. She frees the Ochi and takes it home. As she cares for it, she befriends the creature and decides to reunite it with its family. This sparks a grand adventure as Yuri and Ochi travel across the island to return him to his home. Following close behind are Maxim, Petro, and the hunters, all eager to find Yuri. Along the way, they encounter numerous obstacles: including an awkward family reunion. Can Yuri save the Ochi?
The film is predictable, as the ending aligns with what you’d expect, but it remains very heartwarming and sweet. The locations in the movie are stunning. While I’m not sure exactly where it was filmed, the mountain landscapes provide a perfect backdrop. Additionally, the use of music is well executed, adding extra flair to the scenes.
What truly sold me, and likely everyone else, on this movie is the Ochi themselves. We meet several Ochi throughout the film, but most of the focus is on the baby Ochi. The puppetry is impressive, quirky, and fun. The Ochi are adorable, and the noises they make while singing to each other are very sweet. They do evoke Grogu vibes from Star Wars, but I have to say, I prefer the Ochi!
Emily Watson delivers a phenomenal performance as Yuri’s mother, Dasha, convincingly portraying her struggles with their family situation. Willem Defoe also does an excellent job as Maxim, especially in how he handles his relationship with Yuri. Finn Wolfhard is good, but he doesn’t have many moments to shine: an odd choice considering his star power. The standout performer was Helena Zengel. I’ve never seen her in anything before, but her interactions with the puppet throughout most of the movie are highly impressive. It will be interesting to see where her career takes her from here.
The Legend of Ochi is in UK cinemas starting today (Friday, 1st August).
Max
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