User reviews

The acting is all really quite adequate here, but it's not really that important to the fascinating underlying premiss that underpins the theory that race, in itself, might not be the reason for the hierarchical nature of a society that always manages to create sub-classes. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor offers her own engaging perspective on author Isabel Wilkerson who is invited by a publisher to offer a more considered and less reactionary appraisal of race relations following the murder of a young black man who just happened to be in the wrong place (a white neighbourhood) at the wrong time. The audience know full well from the outset what has happened here, so that's not especially important to the plot either - it's her search for a rationale. That search attempts to draw parallels between the plight of the African American citizenry with the victims of Holocaust and of the system of caste that prevails in India. By spending a section of the film in Germany and then in India, we are exposed to a more internationalist view of just why society is made up of the have lots, the haves and the have nots - and at just how little much of that has changed for centuries. The comparison she develops works surprisingly convincingly, if not without it's flaws, and Ellis-Taylor acts well as a sort of sponge for the philosophies that emerge. The one element that it rather studiously avoids is religion. That isolation does rather compromise the authenticity of any conclusion as it doesn't acknowledge that so often the behaviour and structures of cultures are dictated by those atop them in some form of priesthood - whether they be Brahmin or Cardinal. There are a few familial sub-plots to add a bit of drama to the story, but I found them a little unnecessary as the theory elaborates more. It does come from a very specific American perspective - I'd be interested to see how it might turn out if it were to be remade from a Jewish or Indian point of view, but as it is - it's a thoughtful exercise in what makes human strata function and endure.

Ava DuVernay's Origin isn't a conventional biopic. It's the story of Isabel Wilkerson's (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor's) intellectual journey as she writes her ground-breaking book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, published in 2020. We see Wilkerson grapple with personal loss while meticulously researching and weaving together the insidious threads of racism that bind seemingly disparate historical events-American slavery, the Holocaust, and India's caste system.

The film's greatest strength lies in its ambition. It tackles weighty themes without shying away from unflinching honesty. Brutal historical reenactments punctuate Wilkerson's personal journey, forcing us to confront the ugly truths about humanity's capacity for cruelty. This approach can feel jarring at times, but it undeniably leaves a mark.

Origin stumbles a bit in its execution. The narrative structure can be disjointed, jumping between timelines and locations. While this reflects Wilkerson's own intellectual process, it sometimes left me feeling a tad disoriented. The film also leans heavily on dialogue, with some scenes feeling overly didactic. Think history lesson, not edge-of-your-seat thriller.

That said, the acting is uniformly strong. Ellis-Taylor delivers a powerhouse performance, capturing Wilkerson's unwavering determination and vulnerability with equal measure. The supporting cast, including Connie Nielsen as a sceptical German intellectual, adds depth to the exploration of these complex issues.

Visually, Origin is mostly a muted affair. The colour changes for present, flashbacks, historical events, and fictionalised episodes. The camerawork is steady and unobtrusive, putting the focus squarely on the characters and their stories. The score, a blend of melancholic strings and understated percussion, complements the emotional weight of the film.

While Origin doesn't quite reach the heights of DuVernay's best work, it's still a compelling and thought-provoking film. It's a film that will stay with you, prompting reflection and perhaps even uncomfortable conversations.

Origin isn't easy to watch. It's a movie that demands your attention and confronts you with uncomfortable truths. But if you're up for a challenging and ultimately rewarding cinematic experience, then this film is worth your time. Just be prepared to grapple with some heavy material.

Touching story but not really moved by the movie itself. Could be hard to watch for some. At the end of the day it was decent, I just think it was one of those movies that's more important than it's actually good. But because it's an important story people are gonna butter the movie up. Could've been a better as a documentary if you ask me.

The grainy sharp visual style, evoking an old movie feel despite its modern setting, wasn't to my liking. It's paced really slow and isn't engaging. It works on the assumption that you're already invested and care. It's like using puppy dog eyes. There are scenes that work but too few and too far apart especially in the first half of the movie; so the parts in between felt like a drag. There are few scenes and conversations that are memorable later on that make it worth a watch. But I doubt this is a movie you'd wanna see twice. The movie could benefit from fewer subplots, like the mother's, to maintain better focus. I think I'd have been invested more if it was paced quicker and had less things going on.

The biggest thing I learned about was the Indian dalits, called the untouchables, who're the lowest stratum of the castes in the India. The Jews, and African Americans in America. This isn't in the movie but Several scholars have drawn parallels between Dalits and the Burakumin of Japan, the Baekjeong of Korea, the Hukou system of China. I think learning about them was what made the movie interesting enough for me, otherwise if I had already known about them like I knew about Jews in Germany or blacks in America; I would've been even more bored.

I wish it was paced better, it felt much longer than it actually is. For a good chunk of the second half, it felt like a wait for the conclusion. It's a very heavy loaded film and leaves you with things to think about and some learnings. It's a thought-provoking experience but struggles to captivate, taking too long to get into its stride.

First off, Aunjanue Ellis Taylor deserves an Oscar as does the movie's director, Ava DuVernay. I don't use this sentiment lightly. The pacing of Isabel Wilkerson, her work, the research and her findings are all laid out. Books are different from films. I'll admit, I had not read it before seeing the movie so I do not have any prejudices about the story. I wrote that "It Broke Me" because I not only learned about Ms. Wilkerson but also more about myself. She is alive folks! Not an imagined character or a dead one either. Relatively young. I hope she continues her work. Opening people's eyes is worth the entire trip of emotions this adventure took me on. Wake up folks! I sure have.

Great movie but the author and/or director completely forgot or ignored the plight and treatment native Americans from them caste hypothesis/equation, Seriously!? Why?

I would think Native Americans should have given some sort acknowledgment from origin standpoint as they were first to be "casted" prior to African Americans.

I haven't read the book, but the movie does feel like abrupt in trying to connect and transition amongst different story lines or historical situations.

Then summarization in the end is just beautifully done. But movies felt too dense and compact in terms of content as the authors personal life events and challenges were being tried to intertwined hit socially and racial complexities.

I saw this movie in AMC screen unseen, and I only share that so you get that I had zero clue what I was walking in on.

With that I have to say at first the movie was slow, I understood that it started with the retelling of Travon Martin, then just bounced between time periods to show injustices during Nazi Germany and the following times from many different points of view. The main character went through a lot of personal turmoil but her purpose was clear, she felt there was an underlying connection between a lot of the injustices and mistreatment among many different sect of people. I have to say this is not an "easy" or "light" movie but it needs to be shown.

When leaving the showing I often go to see the reviews, and to my dismay there was clearly a person who just didn't get it. It is based off a book and I plan to read that more. Do yourself a favor and see this film, it's an important one.

My wife and I attended a screening of Origin (2023) last night. The film revolves around an emerging black female US author grappling with family challenges while facing pressure to resume article writing amidst a surge of civil rights injustice. She uses her platform to explore caste systems and human hierarchies in society.

Written and directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma), the cast includes Niecy Nash (Reno 911), Jon Bernthal (Punisher), Aunjanue Ellis (The Color Purple), Blair Underwood (Justin Cause), and Nick Offerman (The Founder).

The movie has its hits and misses. The casting, acting, and attention to attire, settings, and ambiance are commendable, creating an authentic atmosphere. Origin also imparts valuable lessons on systematic racism and effectively portrays interesting historical circumstances. However, certain moments feel forced and awkward, like the somewhat overdone scene between Nash and Offerman. The runtime is noticeably extended, with some scenes requiring better editing.

In conclusion, Origin offers worthwhile content, though it falls short of its potential. I would give it a 6/10 and recommend watching it once.

This movie is beautiful and powerful. It is biopic about the author of the book Caste - which is a nonfiction book about the Caste system and how it is still used today to dehumanize and subjugate people. As she writes and researches the book she makes discoveries along the way as she makes trips to Germany and India to dig into the connections between slavery in America, the people once called the "Untouchables" in India, and the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. It is hard to watch sometimes because it isn't afraid to out the acts of injustice right in your face. Is it subtle? No. Is it half documentary - sometimes with people writing on white boards while reading you sections of a book - yes. It's not a regular "movie" - it's something different than what you're used to. But if you're not moved by it I don't know what's wrong with you. It's like a biopic crossed with a documentary that isn't afraid to feel or sympathize.

The movie deserves much credit for tackling a difficult and complex subject -- the role of race in relation to caste in subjugation and oppression.

The movie examines race in America and caste in India as well as the Holocaust in Germany. However, it fails to mention colonialism, which oppressed one half of the planet no less in the early years after World War 2. This is a serious omission.

Even during the discussion of caste in India, the colonial oppression of India by the British that lasted till 1947 is not addressed. And it might be added, the British took full advantage of the Caste system to consolidate their rule of the country.

Too many storylines, too many characters.

We got our main heroine. Her husband. Her family. Her friends. Her work. Some more friends. Some more work. In between of all that we got a whole other story about nazzi Germany and WWII.

The message is simply getting diluted in all that mix of historical events and personal melodramatic moments.

It's trying to say so many things at once and the final result feels disjointed and messy.

Not the mention, that ultimately it's not saying anything particularly new. If you've been somewhat interested in the topic of racism, classism and did a little bit of research then you probably won't find anything new in this movie.

Ultimately, it could have been a nice documentary.

I just happened upon this movie as I usually do with movies. I was so delightfully surprised. What an important issue to cast light upon. Casting was perfect. This is definitely an intelligent watch. The producer/directors did not need to get flashy to get their point across, instead, they did it with great writing/screenplay and some gut wrenching moments. I love the intelligent conversations that were had by the characters as well as the flashbacks of the characters who were extremely affected by the caste system. I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to learn something and also watch a good movie.

In February 2012 teenager Trayvon Martin was assaulted and killed on his way home from the convenience store because he looked suspicious. A black female author was asked to write an article, presumably to address what many considered simple racism, Martin was killed because he was black.

Instead she decided to look deeper, a lot deeper. Including traveling abroad. The research for her eventual book, upon which this movie is based, led her to examine the caste system which is present in many forms across many civilizations.

Definition: Caste - a social hierarchy that assigns a person or group a social class or standing based on their ancestry and ideas of "purity" and "pollution". It's a traditional practice that's rooted in the political, social, cultural, and economic structures of some religions or cultures. In Hinduism, castes are hereditary social classes that limit the occupations of their members and their interactions with other castes.

Clearly this does not separate people by race or skin color but by long-standing prejudices. In the USA the caste system assigned blacks, most of whom are direct descendants of slaves, to a lower standing. Even in my own lifetime I recall businesses having a separate entrance for blacks, separate water fountains, separate schools, and many hotels prohibited blacks from staying there. In this movie an incident is depicted where a little league baseball team with only one black kid goes to a community pool to celebrate their victory and the black kid is not allowed to swim. The pool manager says something to the effect that if he were to jump in, the pool would have to be closed and disinfected.

A good bit of time is also spent in India where the caste system is still very strict and those in the lowest of the social order have to clean cesspools by hand and have no hope of ever rising above that.

A very interesting and thought-provoking movie. My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

This is a very moving film. The performances were top notch. The film has a slow pace, but it picks up around the half way mark with more interesting turns for the protagonist.

It's amazing to see the growth of the protagonist as she grows in strength after experiencing tremendous loss. It propels her to finish what she started.

Editing was good along with costume design.

The film definitely could have been shorter. I heard several snores in the theater, but my wife and I were glued to the nuanced discussions going on in the film.

It's-a film with a slow burn but satisfying finish. I'd watch it again actually!

Movies don't tend to pass a test of logic and cogency, but as this one is about a comprehensive argument and a GUT, it unusually, necessitates a logical analysis.

The development of an anachronistic anthropological unified theory is perilous and this film's presentation of that work does not succeed for a few clear reasons.

It is reductionist; it relies on fundamental informal, and formal, fallacies of inference which are central to the project,and because of its logical deficiencies, fails to make its final conclusion valid. The vaulted ambition to unite phenomena into a single entity is a common fault of human reasoning, and whilst plausible and excusable in everyday thinking, it is absolutely wrong.

As an undergraduate university essay it would be failed on those grounds; qualified logical reasoning should not make such simple errors.

This analysis does not necessarily dispute the arguments about social hierarchy, disadvantage and the bogus historical racialist theories, but examined, rather as discrete, noncontiguous identities, not in aggregate.

As a piece of art, the movie is quite commonplace, at least in terms of contemporary production and directing style, which is not to give it a plaudit, but it is certainly too long A sharper edit would inject a sense of intellectual pursuit.

It's not a regular "movie" - it's something different than what you're used to. But if you're not moved by it I don't know what's wrong with you. It's like a biopic crossed with a documentary that isn't afraid to feel or sympathize.

Making a movie about the writing of a book is an almost impossible mandate. How to translate the process-the research, the long, lonely hours of filling screen after screen with prose, the invisible band of self-doubt that can encircle a writer during the toughest times-into terms that work visually on-screen, that draw an audience into a mode of work that's intensely private? Ava DuVernay pulls it off intelligently with Origin, playing in competition at the Venice Film Festival, which follows journalist Isabel Wilkerson, played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, as she brings her 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents from conception to completion.

It's a well directed well acted film, but I can't say I found it either particularly entertaining or thought provoking.

If I understood correctly, it is about classes of people being discriminated against and seeks to get to the causes and effects of discrimination.

The central character is writing a book for which this film sometimes feels like an extended puff. Her particular concern is to highlight the difference between racism and the caste system. I found myself wondering what the importance of the distinction really is. It's the first time I've ever seen what I take to be a scholarly academic book turned into a film and, frankly, at the end, I felt a bit like I had been whacked about the head with a worthy treatise.

Heartbreaking and illuminating, all at once. You might think a movie about a more academic leaning book might be boring and dry, but this film is quite the opposite. It's full of emotion, as we get the story of Isabel Wilkerson's personal life and the trials she faced leading up to the publication of Caste, as well as reinactments of significant historical events that inspired the thesis.

Some parts of the movie lost my attention, but for the most part, I thought this was extremely well done. The acting was, all around, fantastic. The breakdown of the thesis at the core of the movie made sense, and the storytelling about the author herself kept the movie compelling.

I hope you leave the move also looking for ways to defy caste.

Going into the film without much prior knowledge, I do enjoy the the beginning of the moive. However, as i watch longer, I couldn't shake the feeling that the film was primarily about the Black Lives Matter movement but disguised as something else. The way this theme was woven into the narrative felt somewhat manipulative, and it left me feeling uneasy, to the point where I almost considered stopping watching. While the movie seemed to aim at addressing broader international issues, it ultimately focused heavily on Black Lives Matter, which felt like a hard sell. The movie is like a really good written essay but lack a persuasive thesis. I think film likes the Green Book are much better than this one. Despite this, I did value the film's depiction of historical injustices, which kept me finishing the film, but i did fast foward last 15 mins. The performances by the cast were good.

I loved this movie! Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor will have you hanging onto every word she speaks. She did an amazing job showing how Isabel Wilkerson's brain worked to develop her book Caste and how her life and experience inspired her to write it. Origin is the type of movie that will have you thinking at the end. Now I think of myself as a progressive, forward thinking person and at the end I was thinking how much I learned. It made me want to go read the books that was referenced in the movie.

Anyway... I loved this.

If you aren't in the mood to think or question you may want to wait on this one. If you're willing to look at another's perspective, and question yourself then hold off. But Origin can be very inspiring and eye opening if you let it.

First of all, I love Aujunae and Ava Duvernay and truly believe that we live in a society where the circumstances under which you were born matter.

I just feel this just doesn't quite make the mark. It has so many stories going on at once and yes, they relate to a single issue, but not to each other. So the flashes between events can make it seem discombobulated.

I think a lot of people are giving it bad reviews based on the topic. Whether you like the topic or not, judge the movie based on the videography, storytelling, etc. I personally don't agree that caste is more of a determinant than racism. I have experienced racism while poor and while being a highly, educated working professional.

"Origin," directed by Ava DuVernay, promised an "unflinching look at oppression" but ended up as a frustrating and unengaging film that demonstrated a lack of understanding of social issues. The slow pacing, disjointed plot, and one-dimensional characters made it a tedious watch, with a talented cast unable to salvage the lack of character development. The film's overt symbolism and preachy dialogue replaced subtlety with an unnecessarily explicit approach, attempting to link three distinct social issues prevalent continents apart. This misguided attempt to evoke emotions only served to distract from the narrative. Even the initially praised cinematography felt gratuitous and self-indulgent. In the end, "Origin" not only fell short of its intentions but also showcased a missed opportunity for meaningful storytelling and a nuanced exploration of the complex societal issues it sought to address.

It's been long since I actually cried deeply during the watching of a movie like this one has made me do. It has so many powerfully emotive parts that just tag not just your heart, but very soul.

This movie is based on an award winning bestseller entitled "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent", a work by Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson. In many ways this film is to some extent about the tragedies she goes through in suffering deep losses in her life, but even more important, the reason that led her to begin this work.

It is a phenomenal interpretation by the director and cowriter Ava DuVernay of Wilkerson's book. And let me say this, it blew me away completely because it addresses racism in a way I never saw before, that it is a cover or decoy of a much deeper truth, it's a caste system that's been carried on for over one millennium - yes over one thousand years.

What got me away was the question as a conversation was being carried on between Isabel herself and her cousin Marion in which Isabel asks Marian, "What does Nazi Germany, the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the shooting of Trayvon Martin have in common?"

We all respond racism to which Isabel dedicates the entire book to showing a deeper and profound truth, it's actually a caste system. Her pillars drawn from her research and outlined in her work really hit home for me.

I recommend this movie and shall be watching it once more but this time with a notebook to glean the deep truths this woman proposes in her work. Further, I shall certainly buy and read her book because her work has left me profoundly impacted. A wow from me.

The actress that plays her Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor did a phenomenal job as far as I am concerned and embodied the writer very well. Jon Bernthal also does a great job as her husband Brett and some of the scenes that had me in tears were shared by them.

The atmosphere, story telling and tragedies are so well done that they tagged big on my heart, so it's the kind of movie that will have you shedding tears in a number of scenes, but there's one which really hit home, won't spoil it but let's just say it demonstrates in the most painfully emotional way what "untouchable" means and this in the USA. Phew, that got me bawling! So painful to watch I tell you. Don't get me wrong, not in a graphic way, just in the simplicity of its stark meaning.

Bottom line, a full 10/10 for me and like I said, very deep lessons. What a flick!!

Go watch it if you appreciate drama but with deep deep lessons on issues that are affecting is even now!

The genius of this film comes from its source material which finds the connection between Blacks, Jews, Dalits, "containers verse character", it's not race or color, but the true problem is a system of caste. Also, by defining the pillars of a caste system it makes the strategic purposeful oppression easily identifiable so the audience can recognize it in many scenarios throughout history, locations and cultures. Ultimately, the belief that humans deserve a right in the pursuit of mating, opportunity for success and freedom of expression reigns supreme.

I prefer Ava Duvernay when topic is more streamlined. Otherwise, her directing feels clumsy and the story gets convoluted. With an immense budget, different cultures, timeframes and diverse characters I feel her imagination actually hurts her directing talent. An example is her phenomenal work on "When They See Us" compared to a low point of her career with "A Wrinkle In Time." Furthermore, the acting and dialogue are average, thusly I did not feel a personal or emotional attachment to characters lives or deaths. Some portions felt like trauma porn. The house metaphor made sense as an exploration of present day verse history, but I'm not sure if the connection was made to the audience of the immense amount of progress that has been made in society.

I recently watched the movie Origin and I have to say, I was very disappointed. The film was incredibly boring and lacked any real substance or excitement. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story.

The characters were uninteresting and one-dimensional, leaving me feeling detached from their struggles and motivations. The pacing of the film was slow and dragged on, making it feel like a chore to sit through.

Overall, I would not recommend watching Origin unless you enjoy dull and uninspired movies. Save yourself the time and watch something more captivating instead.

This movie is so vital and so important and everyone needs to see it! It is so important to realize how connected all of us are!! How all of our issues and struggles and history are so similar! This movie is beautiful and brilliant and heartbreaking and honest! I hate that the world is this way! I hate that humanity has made the world this way. We could've had a better world. We could've had a loving and kind society and world. Everyone needs to see this movie and needs to read this book! Everything ia connected! Everything! I hope this movie is shown is classrooms and universities and on TV's all around the world!