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The Legend of Ochi is a fantasy adventure film that marks the feature directorial debut of Isaiah Saxon. It follows the story of Yuri, a young girl in the fictional island of Carpathia, who discovers a baby Ochi, a creature she has been taught to fear all her life by her father, Maxim. Yuri puts her life at risk and takes on a dangerous journey to reunite the Ochi with its family, even as Maxim and his wards try to hunt the baby down.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from The Legend of Ochi. Reader's discretion is advised.
At one point, Yuri discovers that she can communicate with the baby Ochi. While she initially believes that it is because of the baby biting her arm, it is later revealed that Yuri has been taught the Ochi's tongue by her mother Dasha when she was a toddler. Since Maxim has kept his daughter away from the creatures, he remains unaware of this. However, becoming close with the baby Ochi helps bring out Yuri's latent skill.
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While Dasha abandons Yuri as a child, she later appears to help her daughter on her adventure with the Ochi. The film stars Helena Zengel as Yuri, Willem Dafoe as Maxim, and Emily Watson as Dasha. Finn Wolfhard also stars in The Legend of Ochi as Petro, one of the boys in Maxim's group who is almost an elder brother to Yuri.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025. A24 has secured the distribution rights, and it received a limited theatrical release on April 18, 2025, before a wide release in the US on April 25.
Exploring Yuri's dedication in The Legend of Ochi
Yuri manages to reunite the injured baby Ochi, whom she discovers at her camp, with its mother after undertaking a perilous journey in The Legend of Ochi. Though a child herself, Yuri defies her social upbringing and treats the Ochi with compassion. She comes across as extremely stubborn as she dedicates herself to protecting the baby creature, in the way she wishes her parents would do for her.
She succeeds in her efforts with the help of her mother, whose accumulated knowledge about creatures allows her to find out their home. In the end, Yuri's determination even sways her father. Maxim lets go of his deep-seated convictions and proceeds to help his daughter reach an island in the middle of a cave along the way.
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Why did Yuri's mother leave in The Legend of Ochi?
Yuri's determination to take the baby Ochi back home to its family is driven by her own mother Dasha abandoning her as a child. The narrative highlights the incidents leading Dasha to make the call, all of which are rooted in the fact that she and Maxim hold very different opinions on Ochis.
The information on the life and culture of Ochis collected and preserved by Dasha shows that she has respect for them. On the other hand, Maxim hates the Ochis and actively trains young boys in his community to hunt them down. When an Ochi bites Dasha, Maxim cuts off her arm, insisting it is the only way to save her life. It appears to have been the last straw for Dasha, who soon leaves her family.
Also read: The Legend of Ochi: Release date, plot, and everything we know so far
The Legend of Ochi is currently playing in theaters.
