The Legend of Ochi (/ˈoʊtʃi/) is a 2025 American fantasy adventure film written and directed by Isaiah Saxon in his feature film debut. The film stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe.
| The Legend of Ochi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Isaiah Saxon |
| Written by | Isaiah Saxon |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Evan Prosofsky |
| Edited by | Paul Rogers |
| Music by | David Longstreth |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
It is scheduled to be released in the United States by A24 in limited theaters on April 18, 2025, before a wide release on April 25.
Premise
editIn 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.[3]
Cast
edit- Helena Zengel as Yuri
- Willem Dafoe as Maxim
- Finn Wolfhard as Petro
- Emily Watson as Dasha
Production
editOn November 10, 2021, it was reported that Isaiah Saxon would write and direct The Legend of Ochi, a fantasy adventure film starring Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard, and Helena Zengel, with A24 fully financing and serving as worldwide distributor.[4][5]
Some scenes of the film were shot in Transylvania, in the Apuseni Mountains, at the Bâlea Lake and on the Transfăgărășan road. Principal photography started in Romania on November 1, 2021, and continued at the Castel Film Studios until December 15, 2021.[6][7] The films makes use of puppetry, animatronics, computer animation and matte paintings. The titular creature was a puppet, operated by 7 performers. The film had a budget of $10 million.[8][9]
Release
editThe Legend of Ochi premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025.[3] It is set for a wide theatrical release in the United States on April 25, 2025,[10] following a limited release in New York City and Los Angeles on April 18.[11] It was previously scheduled to be released on February 28, 2025, but it was delayed in January 2025 after Saxon lost his home in the Southern California wildfires.[12]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "The Legend of Ochi, the rare A24 family film, is a charming throwback to adventure movies of the '80s like The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal, complete with original puppetry that reportedly contains not an ounce of CGI manipulation".[15] Carlos Aguilar of Variety commented: "With unique enough lore and a unique style, Saxon avoids making a derivate fable. Ochi prompts one to think, 'How did they do that?' only to be even more incredulous when realizing the techniques employed. That's film sorcery".[16]
References
edit- ^ Grierson, Tim. "The Legend Of Ochi: Sundance Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ^ "The Legend of Ochi". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (November 10, 2021). "A24 Greenlights Fantasy Epic 'The Legend Of Ochi' From Director Isaiah Saxon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Welk, Brian (November 10, 2021). "Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard to Star in Fantasy Epic 'The Legend of Ochi' for A24". The Wrap. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ FNE Staff (November 19, 2021). "The Legend of Ochi Shooting in Romania With Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ Fodor, Simona (November 16, 2021). "Scenes from fantasy adventure starring Willem Dafoe filmed in Romania". Romania Insider. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Saxon, Isaiah. "this film took 6 years to make on $10m budget. i personally made 200+ matte paintings. i've been making handmade films that feel painted since 2005. along came AI, and now we have crusaders like you shitting on people who've dedicated their life to craft". X. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ Saxon, Isaiah. "those sheep are fully in camera. every shot of the baby ochi in the trailer is 100% animatronic puppet operated by 7 people live. no AI was used in this film". X. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 24, 2025). "Sundance A24 Movie 'The Legend Of Ochi' Pushed To April After Filmmaker Loses House In L.A. Fires". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ A24 [@A24] (April 2, 2025). "Carpathia awaits. Inside the world of THE LEGEND OF OCHI – opening in NY & LA on April 18, everywhere April 25" (Tweet). Retrieved April 2, 2025 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Schimkowitz, Matt. "The exciting original films of 2025: Soderbergh, Coogler, and Paul Thomas Anderson return". AV Club. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ "The Legend of Ochi". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ "The Legend of Ochi". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (January 27, 2025). "The Legend of Ochi". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2025-01-27). "The Legend of Ochi Review: Practical Magic Breathes Life Into A24's Grounded Fantasy Preaching Man's Coexistence With Nature". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
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