Director: Ava DuVernay
Writers: Ava DuVernay and Isabel Wilkerson
Stars: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash
Synopsis: The unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
**Given the nature of the text of the film Origin, it is essential to note that the reviewer is a caucasian cisgender male, and we recommend and support also seeking out diverse voices in film criticism spaces.**
You will be completely blown away by Ava DuVernay’s brave, ambitious, and beautifully imperfect film. Everyone should see it—not for some form of education or preaching on the subject of inequality, but for its horrifyingly honest and thoughtful presentation of the issue, which becomes essential viewing. The point of Origin is not necessarily to be incendiary or even provoke today’s modern indignation, even though, at times, it can spark outrage. There’s something larger at play with Ms. DuVernay’s harmonious presentation that leads to something profoundly euphoric in the way Origin allows the audience to find solace in healing and reconciliation.
Origin tells the true story of Isabel Wilkerson (an astounding Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), a writer who has chosen to prioritize her family over her professional ambitions. She is married to Brett (Jon Bernthal), a man who exudes warmth and kindness. In one touching moment, Isabel stands in the kitchen, observing Brett gently assisting his mother-in-law (Emily Yancy) with her shoes. In a tender scene, Bernthal’s Brett receives a loving embrace from the older woman because of his benevolence without making her feel burdensome.
It’s 2012, and the issue is that America is currently a powder keg and is ready to explode. Isabel is approached by her editor (Blair Underwood) about writing a piece on race relations in the United States, considering the current circumstances around Sanford, Florida, just after Valentine’s Day. Isabel promises him she will review the facts of the case. What happens next has the devastating power of a wrecking ball that can’t be shaken and leaves a staggering impact that sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Origin is based on Isabel Wilkerson’s seminal work, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which was born out of coping with a series of personal tragedies in her personal life. In order to escape her painful grief, Isabel buries herself in research to find the origin of racism in American society at micro, mezzo, and macro systems and structures that create long-lasting inequality and division. Imagine exploring the pain and anguish on a comprehensive, even communal level to escape your own.
Ms. DuVernay adapted the script and then weaves in an anthology of mini-biographical profiles of famous historical figures who stood up to systematic racism or studied it. The script does a wonderful job of capturing Ms. Wilkerson’s work, which can be jaw-dropping at times, researching caste systems in America, India, and Nazi Germany, then drawing parallels to all of them. While I imagine many would find these stories hankered and retrofitted into the script instead of being grown organically, the stories underline the overall themes and ask provocative academic questions.
All of this leads to the overall point of drawing parallels to the author’s navigation of her healing process and broader societal issues. This allows the film to not only explore the importance of Ms. Wilkerson’s book but also offer a character study of profound understanding and empathy that forces the viewer to ponder this question: Why does the abundant beauty in the world seem to have little influence on how we treat others? The answer is what Dr. Evi Abada calls beauty in diversity. Origin explores why societies are forever blind to that fact.
Origin never preaches but enlightens and invites the viewer to take the analytical journey together to come to a greater awarenes of the origins of others’ hate (and even our personal biases). The tragedy first breaks down Isabel’s on personal and professional levels. Thus, allowing the audience to start from scratch and take the journey with her.
Ms. DuVernay had an almost impossible task and managed to execute a beautiful trick. She allows her audiences to never wander away at arm’s length but erases the lines between the personal and professional because inequality doesn’t discriminate. The experience is holistic and wholeheartedly connected. If Origin is not the best film of the year, it’s arguably the most achingly important piece of cinema to come out in years.
A modern masterpiece of reflection and introspection, Ava DuVernay’s film is the most achingly important piece of cinema to come out in years. Allow Origin to wash over you and see how you feel when you come out on the other side.
