Origin – REVIEW

Origin is a new film written and directed by Ava DuVernay whose most notable previous works include Selma (2014), the Netflix series, 13^th (2016), and the film adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time (2018). Origin is also an adaptation, this time of a non-fiction academic tome, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, the second offering from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Isabel Wilkerson. 

This and Wilkerson’s first book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration were both New York Times best-sellers. Each book has been highly praised for its thorough research, intellectual rigour, and the poetic simplicity of Wilkerson’s writing. 

It’s hard to imagine trying to adapt a book like Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, with its complex ideas and lack of narrative arc, for the screen; and watching the film, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to try. 

DuVernay’s film is not, strictly speaking, a book adaptation. It is more like a biography that covers the making of the book and includes filmic illustrations of some of its major concepts. And really, that’s the film’s downfall. It really needs to be one thing or the other — a biopic about Wilkerson, or a documentary about caste. 

Instead, what we have is a film that runs way too long, is incohesive, has under-developed characters, and is very heavy-handed with the messaging. The soundtrack is excruciatingly melodramatic, and there are several scenes so lacking in subtlety they are almost embarrassing, e.g. a surly plumber wearing a red MAGA hat that is so clean and starched it probably still had the price tag attached. 

The more interesting scenes are those that illustrate the various concepts in Wilkerson’s book: the treatment of dalits in India; the beginnings of Nazi Germany; Jim Crow America. The movie begins with the killing of Trayvon Martin, which is what ultimately leads to Wilkerson writing Caste, but it never really returns to that incident. 

The performances are all good, with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor exceptional as Wilkerson — and having an uncanny resemblance. Jon Bernthal as Wilkerson’s husband, Brett and  Niecy Nash-Betts as cousin, Marion are effective in roles that could have been more fleshed out. 

Ultimately, this film feels unsatisfying, relying on manipulative emotional devices. 

★ ★ 

In cinemas April 4