Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut, “The Legend Of Ochi,” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. 

Just a Girl and Her Ochi

In the Carpathian Village, where many sorts of animals live, such as bears, wolves and sheep, one particular animal that both animals and the villagers fear is the Ochi. The film opens with Yuri (Helena Zengal), who accompanies her father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe), and her adopted brother Petro (Finn Wolfhard) with a group of child soldiers to hunt Ochis.

Being Yuri’s first time hunting Ochis, she doesn’t know what to expect. A mini-war starts with the boys and the Ochis. When things don’t go as planned, Yuri and the boys head back home after a night of defeat. Like any typical teenager, Yuri is misunderstood by her father. However, she isn’t the only misunderstood person. Maxim always told Yuri that the Ochis drove her mother, Dasha (Emily Watson), away.

The next day, when Yuri checks for traps, she finds an injured baby Ochi. After setting the creature free, she realizes that these mystical creatures aren’t as dangerous and scary as everyone makes them seem. Yuri’s curiosity and kindness create a bond between her and the baby Ochi. This leads the two on an adventure to return the baby Ochi to its family.

 Fantasy Aspect Missing

“The Legend of Ochi” is a fantasy, family-oriented film. The beautiful scenery of the mountains in Romania is like a storybook. The film definitely carries mystical factors that almost make it seem real. From Dafoe being a leader to what seems like a group of lost boys to the Ochis being an unknown woodland critter that doesn’t exist in the real world.

Yet, “The Legend of Ochi” doesn’t have that magical aspect that pulls the audience in with similar films like “Harry Potter” and “Narnia.” It felt as if “The Legend of Ochi” was empty at times, or there were certain parts that could have been played around with more, such as the scene when Yuri discovers she can speak the Ochi language. 

With “The Legend of Ochi” being fantasy, it doesn’t mean the story can’t highlight important topics that are happening in today’s world. We see the Carpathian village being modernized, erasing its folktale history around the town, as well as the connection between humans and animals. The hunting of Ochis is very similar to the hunting of real-world species, leaving many to be extinct. “The Legend of Ochi” presents the connection between animals and humans through music and sensation, a topic Saxon said he was heavily influenced by.

“The Legend Of Ochi” heavily worked with puppetry making the baby Ochi come to life. Yet they were able to create emotions and personal expressions that replicated those of humans and animals. The ending of the film had many sniffling. It succeeds in making the audience feel what both Yuri and the baby Ochi felt.

“The Legend of Ochi” comes out in theaters on April 25.

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