This biographical drama film written and directed by Ava DuVernay is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson, played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. As Wilkerson writes her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, she travels to Germany, India, and the United States to research the caste systems in each country’s history. At the same time she has to deal with the loss of three loved ones.
Origin is a hugely ambitious film, almost entirely seamlessly weaving together the writer’s life and her ideas. Those theories are bold and complex but are presented both inventively and accessibly. DuVernay’s previous output has been celebrated but none of it has connected with me in the gut punching way this did.
Ellis-Taylor gives a towering performance, dominating the screen, though Jon Bernthal and Audra MacDonald make telling contributions with their limited screen time.
There are a couple of short scenes, one in Germany and one in India, where the dialogue feels a little forced. But that is the only criticism I can make of this impassioned, relevant movie that was bafflingly excluded from the recent awards season.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10