Thanks to NEON’s FYC DVD box I received sometime in December, I was able to watch a few films that aren’t even in theaters yet. One of them I saw recently was ORIGIN, written and directed by Ava DuVernay. Billed as a biographical drama, it’s actually more of an origin story (pun intended) of how Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist/author Isabel Wilkerson (played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) came up with her 2020 non-fiction titled Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Per Wikipedia, the book describes racism in the United States as an aspect of a caste system—a society-wide system of social stratification characterized by notions such as hierarchy, inclusion and exclusion, and purity.

I’m not familiar with the book nor have I read it, but after seeing this film I’m curious to check it out. The movie opens with a scene of a Black teen buying snacks at a convenience store at night and as he is talking on the phone as he walks home, he tells the person on the other line he’s being followed by an SUV. I hadn’t realized who that Black teen was when I watched it, but soon it’s revealed that it was Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman who’s Hispanic American. Following a speaking engagement, Isabel is approached by a Times editor (Blair Underwood) who asks her to write about Martin’s case. That case ends up inspiring Isabel to theorize that it’s the caste system, not racism, that’s the crux of how many people of color are treated in America.

This subject matter could’ve perhaps worked as a documentary, but I’m glad DuVernay decided to make this into a narrative feature. Focusing more on her ideological pursuit, instead of just on Isabel’s life. It makes Isabel’s intellectual quest all the more personal as we see her dealing with her ailing mother (Emily Yancy) as well as her loving relationship with her supportive husband Brett (Jon Bernthal). I’m immediately beguiled by Ellis-Taylor (who’s deservedly nominated for her supporting performance in King Richard), with her radiant screen presence, brimming with intellectual brilliance as well as warmth and deep empathy.

The film weaves through multiple timelines, from the retelling of Martin’s shooting (a continuation from the opening scene) as Isabel studies his case, all the way to Germany during the Nazi rise to power and India, as she researches India’s caste system, where the Dalits, the lowest in the caste system, are considered untouchables. Interesting to see Harvard professor Suraj Yengde of Dalit caste play himself, introducing Isabel to Dalit activist B. R. Ambedkar whose Statue of Equality of his likeness can be found in 20 countries. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King on MLK Day, the American civil rights leader himself learned about the caste system in his 1959 visit to India, apparently being introduced by a school principal as ‘a fellow untouchable from the United States.’

It can be quite dizzying as the movie goes back and forth from Wilkerson’s personal story to dramatizations of various people from history: August Landmesser (Finn Wittrock), known as the man who refused to salute Hitler in the famous 1936 photo, and his Jewish wife Irma Eckler (Victoria Pedretti), and two Black anthropologists: Allison Davis (Isha Blaak) and his wife, Elizabeth (Jasmine Cephas Jones), author of the seminal book Deep South: A Social Anthropological Study of Caste and Class. All of these historical figures have such compelling stories that deserve their own movie, but fortunately, they don’t outshine Wilkerson’s own narrative. It’s heart-wrenching to see her cope with one personal tragedy after another while she presses on to work on her book.

Some of the funniest and most moving scenes involve Isabel’s cousin Marion (Niecy Nash) whom she has to bid goodbye to when she’s away in India. Marian is always supportive of Isabel even when the idea of caste goes over her head at times, as exemplified in their conversation over a barbecue. Isabel is defiant when people in her Black community try to ‘put her in a box’ so to speak, when a few of them not-so-subtly urge her to date a Black man after she lost her white husband. The interaction between Isabel and a plumber wearing a MAGA hat (Nick Offerman) is interesting as the already uncomfortable tension could boil over had Isabel not tried to relate to him as a fellow human being. It highlights her desire to find common ground between people instead of focusing on their apparent differences. The scene could’ve come off as moralizing but it feels natural given we’ve seen Isabel’s point of view.

While the movie can be tough to watch at times, notably the dramatizations of Martin’s shooting, the 1930s book burning night in a German square, and the harrowing scene in the Jim Crow South, the tone is mostly uplifting. I love that DuVernay includes an adorable meet-cute of Isabel and Brett, even poking fun at men’s tendency to ‘mansplain.’ Bernthal and Ellis-Taylor have a lovely chemistry that I wish there were more of their scenes together. The star of the story is definitely Ellis-Taylor who ought to have garnered more accolades during this year’s award season. Perhaps the delayed release of the movie plays a part but it’d be a shame if she’s overlooked for this astounding performance.

Same with DuVernay, who’s curiously absent in the directorial race. Origin is a towering achievement, adapting a non-fiction book as a narrative film is tricky, but she manages to weave an impressively engaging, deeply moving, and thought-provoking piece. The closing scene is powerful with Isabel using an old house as a metaphor for America (derived from Caste), that even though the new generations of Americans may not have anything to do with how the house was built, we are heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it and any further deterioration is on our hands. It ends with a triumphant moment as Isabel doesn’t just survive but thrives despite all the hardships she suffers. The scene is wonderfully surreal and poetic, placing Isabel in the same space and time as the people in history we’ve seen throughout the movie.

Just like SELMA, this is an important and illuminating work from DuVernay that should be watched by everyone, regardless of ethnicity or racial background. Even if we don’t agree with every idea presented here, it behooves us not to look away.

Have you seen ORIGIN? I’d love to hear what you think!

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