Cert - 12

Run-time - 1 hour 35 minutes

Director - Isaiah Saxon

Growing up on an island, Yuri (Helena Zengel) defies the warnings of her father (Willem Dafoe) to take a potentially threatening baby creature to its home.

If you were to think of what an A24 family film might look like your first thought may not be something in the vein of 2023's excellent Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. Instead, it may be more akin to The Legend Of Ochi. I've long talked a lot about the lack of live-action family films in recent years, and the indie studio's latest offering is just that, with hints of Robert Eggers.

There's a strong atmosphere held in the fog covering the forests of the island of Carpathia. Just outside the woodland is a small village, more a hut, where young men are sent to learn to toughen up and take on the world - or in leader Maxim's (Willem Dafoe) eyes take on the deadly ochi; a group of large, orangutan-like creatures. Daughter Yuri (Helena Zengel) is often left behind, bored and wanting to explore the world instead of listen to her father's warnings of doom and danger again. When discovering a baby ochi she has an excuse to do so in order to take it home.

As her journey exploring the brighter colours of the outside world unfolds a greyer one begins for Maxim and the children he's training. Theirs is led by the belief that the ochi are the biggest threat out there. In both realms the technical aspects of the film create great sense of wonder.

Evan Prosofsky's cinematography brings about much of the visual atmosphere, with the production design and top puppetry for the ochi that we see bringing about the feeling of miniatures and classic family films from the mind of Jim Henson, such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Meanwhile, David Longsreth's score will surely go down as one of, if not the, best of the year. A stirring set of pieces which perfectly compliment the visuals on screen and I'm bound to be listening to on repeat for some time.

There's something transportive about each of the film's elements that, even as it slows down in the third act to almost drink, and almost get lost, in its own surroundings, or tick off each of its elements, create a sense of wonder and immersion in the environments. Whether out in the forests, or creating chaos in a bubblegum-tinted supermarket there's a good deal to be wrapped up in both emotionally and viscerally, and quite often those factors work hand-in-hand.

Throughout much of The Legend Of Ochi I was transfixed by the pure atmosphere of it. While its 12 rating means it won't work for younger viewers, and it may be a hard sell for others, it's a meticulously designed family feature that doesn't shy away from a darkness and intensity, largely from Dafoe's character and how he views the ochi. After struggling in the US, and getting little push here, this may mark one of my favourite films of the year.

Four stars