Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” Depicts a Writer’s Life That’s as Vital as Her Subject
Reviews are starting to pour in for writer/director Ava DuVernay’s latest film, Origin, which recently had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. DuVernay’s latest is centered on the life and work of author and journalist Isabel Wilkerson, specifically on her astonishing, Pulitzer Prize-winning 2020 book “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents.” Wilkerson’s book was as ambitious in scope as it was scorching to read, centered on her theory that linked racism in the United States to the caste system, most obviously evident in India but also, in Wilkerson’s telling, the very basis for Nazi Germany’s planned obliteration of the Jewish population. It was the must-read book of 2020, a monumental feat that was simultaneously brilliant, heartbreaking, and profound.
This material seems an almost impossible challenge to turn into a narrative feature film, yet it didn’t daunt the ever-ambitious, undoubtedly brilliant DuVernay, who proved with Selma and When They See Us that she’s especially adept at tackling monumental history and sprawling, interconnected systems of abuse with verve, vigor, and command. With Origin, DuVernay set herself the challenge of depicting Wilkerson’s life (she’s played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), both her challenges as a writer and her emotional and romantic life, as she pieced together her theory of American racism.
“To distill Wilkerson’s ideas, DuVernay looks at the personal events that propelled the author to write Caste, shaping Origin as a process film,” writes Lovia Gyarkye in The Hollywood Reporter. “This intimate vantage point also offers a tender love story — one brought to life by passionate and committed performances from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jon Bernthal.”
The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw wrote, “This is a film with strength and purpose.”
More reviews will arrive in the coming days, but let’s take a peek at what some of the critics are saying now:
‘Origin’ Review: Ava DuVernay’s Monumental Look at ‘Caste’ Frames America’s Most Difficult Conversation https://t.co/3aJ81rUheQ
— Variety (@Variety) September 6, 2023
My review of Origin (dir. Ava DuVernay) is up here: https://t.co/R0Q0xZfjmy #Venezia2023 #venezia #venezia23 #venezia80 #VeniceFilmFestival #venice #venice2023 #Venice23
— Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) September 6, 2023
TIME reviews Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’ https://t.co/e4xtBNS9Qq
— TIME (@TIME) September 6, 2023
final venice review! i’ve been taking it easy! reviewed origin for @LWLies, a film of incredible scope and ambitionhttps://t.co/GDaQWfRqlE
— anahit behrooz (@anahitrooz) September 6, 2023
Venice review: With ORIGIN, Ava DuVernay pulls off a complicated task with grace and sensitivity. https://t.co/q7HfxNnoZr
— Stephanie Zacharek (@szacharek) September 6, 2023
‘Origin’ Review: Ava DuVernay Adapts Isabel Wilkerson’ ‘Caste’ With Dazzling Inventiveness [Venice] https://t.co/ULlHZ816Gv pic.twitter.com/7Mz3wnuT8B
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) September 6, 2023
I’ve seen half a dozen movies good enough to warrant a spot on my year-end Top 10 premiere out of the Telluride/Venice fests in recent days. But here’s the one that surprised me most … because how do you adapt CASTE? Ava DuVernay does it brilliantly! https://t.co/gSCIzytUAB
— Peter Debruge (@AskDebruge) September 7, 2023
ORIGIN moved me to tears. Ava DuVernay’s gripping script is an fusion of protagonist Isabel Wilkerson’s novel which investigates caste systems and the tragedies of her personal life. I found the final twenty minutes so immensely emotional. #venezia80 https://t.co/YhVmcDtICO
— yasmine kandil @ Venezia (@filmwithyas) September 6, 2023
ORIGIN: Ava DuVernay’s made a smart and ambitious film of ideas—ideas that can change the world. It’s rich and expansive, and a rare thing in its approach to reframe the conversation around race. My review: https://t.co/0pRR3rbK7j
— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) September 6, 2023
For more on big films coming out of the Venice and Telluride film festivals, check out these stories:
Austin Butler & Jodie Comer’s Romance Revs Up in “The Bikeriders” Trailer
“Poor Things” Pops in Venice as Emma Stone Earns Raves in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Stunner
Featured image: VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 06: Director Ava DuVernay attends a photocall for “Origin” at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 06, 2023 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
