

Willem Dafoe’s latest project, a family fantasy film, has debuted with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score, Screen Rant reports.
Written and directed by Isaiah Saxon and distributed by A24, The Legend of Ochi follows the story of a secluded farm girl named Yuri, who is constantly warned by her family about a dangerous beast called the Ochi. But when she stumbles upon an injured baby Ochi, she knows she must brave the wilderness and defy her family to return the creature to its home.
Having debuted in limited release on April 18th, the movie has received a strong critical approval score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Filmed on location in Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, The Legend Of Ochi has gotten attention for its use of practical effects such as puppetry, with seven puppeteers needed for the titular Ochi, matte paintings and green screen, with critics like Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com comparing it to E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and other 80s fantasy films that used puppets such as The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal.
Along with Dafoe, The Legend Of Ochi also stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Razvan Stoica, and Carol Bors. The indie fantasy went into theatrical wide release on April 25th.
