A recommendation: The Legend of Ochi

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“Something else is out there.” Now playing in many theaters nationwide is the adventure movie The Legend of Ochi, a completely original creation from the mind of filmmaker Isaiah Saxon. It’s an entrancing, visually stunning story following a girl who befriends a creature known as an Ochi that lives on the isolated island where she’s from. I’ve been waiting to recommend this film ever since I caught it at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in January a few months ago. It’s a fascinating miracle of a film, featuring hand-made puppets and heaps of imagination. And even though I do think the film is rather simplistic and has a few minor flaws, I must recommend it anyway because it is still something special. It’s the kind of film that I would’ve loved to watch as a kid, taking me away to some far away land on an adventure with some vibrant creatures. They don’t make movies like this anymore. And I’m glad this one exists! Someone made something original and exciting again! The Legend of Ochi is a 96 minute movie that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age: for kids, for adults, for anyone that loves a heartfelt story about befriending animals and taking care of nature - trusting in nature, believing in nature, instead of constantly pillaging and plundering. The cast is superb, bringing some gravitas to this tale. And best of all the Ochi creatures so delightful and cute and fascinating. Most of them were created as real puppets (there’s no AI involved in making this movie!) that were brought to life on set by a series of puppeteers (you can see more in this making of featurette video right here (Abre numa nova janela)). Enjoy this movie in theaters while you still can.

In a secluded northern village on the island of Carpathia, a farm girl named Yuri is taught to not go outside after dark and to fear the reclusive creatures known as the Ochi. But when she discovers a lost and injured baby Ochi, she sets off on a journey to return it to its family. The film is now playing in theaters around the world, after a limited debut in NY & LA the week before. The Legend of Ochi is both written and directed by filmmaker Isaiah Saxon as his first feature film after creating the animation studio called Encyclopedia Pictura. It stars Helena Zengel & Finn Wolfhard as brother & sister who get into all kinds of trouble, as well as Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson. A24 premiered the film at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in January, and it’s opening worldwide in cinemas this May (Abre numa nova janela) - including in the US right now. I definitely recommend it, especially for kids. Take them and let them be amazed by something special and entirely hand-made, and teach them about how it was made (Abre numa nova janela). Yes, the script is quite minimalistic and doesn’t offer too much depth, but I enjoyed the film anyway. The awe-inspiring magical realism and visual splendor is on the level of The NeverEnding Story - a perennial favorite from when I was a kid growing up in the 80s & 90s. This adorable fantasy film feels like it's from a whole other time before, dug up for our enjoyment nowadays. And it deserves to be seen and appreciated by as many people as possible. Even if you only catch up with it at home, take the time to enjoy it and spread the word if you also think it’s good.