It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least at the movies, that any child left unattended must be in want of a mythical creature to befriend. One can only imagine how that impulse would be inflamed living somewhere like Carpathia, an island of primeval forests and mist-laden mountains where rural Slavic communities caught out of time – some still riding horse-drawn carriages to mini-marts – dedicate equal time to farming the land and fearing it. Thankfully for Yuri (Helena Zengel), the shy and sensitive protagonist of fantasy-adventure The Legend of Ochi, from first-time writer-director Isaiah Saxon, there’s magic in the wilderness – particularly in the form of the ochi, a reclusive simian species with reddish-orange fur, bluish facial features, and a unique language of high-pitched, melodic chirps and whistles. – Little White Lies
“…outsized performances from Emily Watson and Willem Dafoe.” – The Daily Beast