Lots of excellent movies premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year, like “Poor Things,” “Maestro,” and “Priscilla.” But while those films already have awards buzz swirling around them, don’t forget about Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” a complex drama about a journalist grappling with tremendous tragedies in her life and the global journey she embarks on. Despite the colossal scope of her project—tackling the unspoken systems that have shaped America and ideas of human hierarchy and divisions—she finds beauty and bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time.
Featuring an all-star cast but centered on Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard”) and Niecy Nash-Betts (“Selma”), “Origin” also features Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Jasmine Cephas-Jones and Connie Nielsen.
It’s a sprawling, inventive drama much like the subject matter and book it adapts (“Caste” by author Isabel Wilkerson), and as our review from Venice wrote, “To form a fluid narrative from all the threads, [DuVernay] employs a non-linear structure enhanced with magical realist vignettes and historical reenactments to emotionally drive home the writer’s thesis that it’s not race that has divided humanity for most of its timeline, but the imposed hierarchies that systematically deem certain groups inherently inferior.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable loss and uncovers the beauty of love and human resilience. Inspired by the New York Times best-seller “Caste” and starring Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard”), ORIGIN explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future.
“Origin” is finishing up its one-week exclusive engagement In New York & Los Angeles theaters, which began December 8. After that, Neon will release the movie in select theaters starting January 19, 2024. Watch the new trailer below.
