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The Legend of Ochi

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The Legend of Ochi

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Summary

In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as Ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on the adventure of a lifetime to bring him home

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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Kevin Harley

Like a more DIY twist on ET the Extra-Terrestrial, this flawed but singularly styled fantasy traces a youngster's bond with an otherworldly creature. In the Carpathians, farmer Maxim (Willem Dafoe) leads hunts for the much-feared Ochi, furry and razor-toothed beasts living nearby. But when his daughter Yuri (Helena Zengel) finds a wounded young Ochi and realises it isn't a monster, she attempts to return it to its family, with Maxim giving chase. Between the matte-painted backdrops and an absent-mothers theme, director Isaiah Saxon's feature debut almost suggests a variant on How to Train Your Dragon as crafted by cult film-maker Guy Maddin. If the plot and characterisation can seem sketchy and derivative, the tangible aesthetic and vivid world-building are anything but. The Ochi are low-budget marvels of puppeteering and handmade care, while the portraits of mulchy village life feel pleasingly grounded. Saxon's fable fuses folk-tale traditions and artisanal craft with skewed humour, tactile scoring and the cutest bug-eyed, big-eared creature designs this side of Gremlins' Gizmo.

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5.8/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameYuriHelena ZengelMaximWillem DafoeDashaEmily WatsonPetroFinn WolfhardIvanRazvan Stoica

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Crew

rolenameDirectorIsaiah Saxon

Details

Theatrical distributor

Entertainment Film Distributors

Released on

2025-08-01

Languages

English

Guidance

Violence, swearing

Formats

Colour

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