Origin (2023) Spoiler-Free Review. A Masterpiece or a Misfire?

[@AL-ns5jc]

This is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen! It’s a love story, a story about family and a riveting documentary all at once .

[@TheNerdSocial]

Really glad you enjoyed it!

[@johnmolina3284]

you must be a neophyte to cinema.

[@AL-ns5jc]

@@johnmolina3284 No I just have a different opinion than yours. I respect that you didn’t like the movie, but I did so there’s room for both opinions.

[@johnmolina3284]

I've seen over 5,000 if I counted them. Ihave written down every title since I turned 14. I am now 63. Some repeatedly as near as twenty times.@@AL-ns5jc

[@Tapdat683]

Music by stan walker ; i am for best song and artist .....best song

[@lilburg7972]

Was so disappointed that Origin did not receive any nominations. Also the original song I Am. What a masterpiece!

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes, we've been discussing this extensively over the past few days. I think this is a function of what was discussed in this review. Ava went an untraditional route in financing the film and getting people's attention after making the film through marketing costs a lot of money, and doing an awards campaign costs even more. Award voters start getting things sent to them in October. Some studios go all out with their lobbying, sending not only the movie but also the soundtrack, bounded scripts, and other film-related swag. We think Ava's nonprofit route to get the film made didn't afford her the money she needed to market the film or lobby awards voters.

[@AL-ns5jc]

I don’t think it was eligible for this year’s nominations because of when it was released

[@TheNerdSocial]

No, it had a limited release last year in NY and LA so it is eligible.

[@lilburg7972]

Thanks for the reply. Still hoping this project gets some kind of recognition.

[@AL-ns5jc]

Oh okay 👍🏾

[@DFHarr]

Bro'man ("The Nerd Social"), I saw the movie on its official nationwide release on 19 January 2024 in Denver, Colorado. Your review is stellar in content and presentation. - I cried multiple times throughout the movie, more than any other film I've seen. I was psychologically troubled or emotionally shaken or moved by various scenes in the film that depicted the following: loving child-parent relationship, death of significant others, Trayvon Martin reenactment, Al Bright incident--shredded my soul to pieces, and the concentration camp/slave ships vignettes. The film was educational and powerfully evocative. It was simultaneously cerebral and visceral on its journey of exploring, elucidating, and defining caste. The movie is a cinematic treasure that fully engages the intellect and the psyche (i.e., the soul). I want to see it again, but it was a challenging emotional rollercoaster. I'm not sure I want to endure the Al Bright scene again; it jacked me up. Thanks again for the superb review. Keep up the excellent work!

[@TheNerdSocial]

Many on our team respond to comments, so we don't usually speak in the first person when responding, but I wanted to let you know that this is Nathanial responding, and I'll explain why in a moment. First, thank you for stopping by; I appreciate your reflections on the film. Second, I wanted to identify myself because I wanted to talk about the Al Bright scene specifically. In my review, I mention certain things that make me cry just thinking about them, and that scene is the main scene I was speaking to. I have a three-year-old little boy, and my greatest fear for him is the cruelty that could meet him in the world. When my wife finally sat down to watch my film screener, that scene broke her, too. So much so that she said she was a bit traumatized and couldn't speak about the film with me until the following day.

[@DFHarr]

Wow!!! Thank you so much for sharing this very personal detail. After I wrote the post above, I decided NOT to see the movie again because of that scene. Apparently, it was more traumatizing to me than I realized at the time. Take care and be well!@@TheNerdSocial

[@newdawn7586]

I just saw this movie today while on vacation. I cried so many times during this film. More than anything I’ve seen and I’m 59 years old. It’s a beautiful movie everyone should see.

[@DFHarr]

Same here: same age; same emotional experience. incredible film.@@newdawn7586

[@honahwikeepa2115]

Stan Walker's song "I am ," will attract people to the movie..

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes, it's great.

[@leoniebrooks4313]

I absolutely loved this movie…it was extraordinary and it should have been nominated for best movie and best actress. The magnificence of this movie will stand the test of time! I cried both times I saw it and I will see it again 🙏🏾💫❤️

[@kmurray559]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@fundifferent1]

I don't care who you are or where you come from you MUST see this film

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes, it's an exceptional film.

[@arthurnewkirk671]

I worked on Origin as a stuntman and actor. Love Avy,

[@RAFrank-cv7qe]

This is going to go in history as a great Teaching tool and Reserch Model.

[@twania36]

I enjoyed the movie. It was awesome. I’ve seen it twice.

[@TheNerdSocial]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@elliottyancey-brangman9631]

Was fully engaged in Isabel's journey. The little boy at the pool, that was me. Brought me to tears, still. Thank you, Ava, and Paul, thank you Aunjaune.

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes, this is a really exceptional film!

[@kmurray559]

A true Masterpiece !!! Ava is a genius and Aunjanue Ellis Taylor is phenomenal ❤Thank you for your artistry ❤

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes, it is a great great film.

[@lsingstock1646]

I'm having trouble finding it at the theaters near me. But, I see that KZbin will show it. Does anyone know when?

[@rkms5606]

March 23rd apple tv

[@larryclevelandUSMC]

AppleTV enjoy!!! It is incredible. I would recommend listening or reading “Caste” first. They complement each other well.

[@juditherwinneville7797]

Excellent film! I would go see it again!

[@johnmolina3284]

A man named Webster wants a word with you.

[@genienelane3665]

Yes. Talk about it in a more"spoilery" way.

[@TheNerdSocial]

We are working on a more spoiler follow-up to this review and our reviews for "The Color Purple" and "American Fiction." The problem is that no one watches conversations we post that are 45 minutes or longer because none of us have the public profile of Joe Rogan or Howard Stern, who can go on for hours. Even if people did watch, editing a review like this one for "Origin," which is only 8 minutes long, takes a few hours. It takes the better part of two days to finish and edit a video that is an hour long, and we all have other jobs (some of us have more than one other job). The thought right now is to do a 30-minute video answering questions and getting into the spoiler details of prestige Black films from 2023. Maybe when we grow, we'll do something like Patreon and have those deep-dive, hours-long conversations for subscribers.

[@genienelane3665]

@@TheNerdSocialUnderstood and I love this. I'll look out for your half hour long video then. 😎

[@sandal_thong8631]

I saw it arrived in my theater last week, so watched the trailer and was sold when the woman said "your thesis is flawed" as I wanted to see if Isabel could prove the woman wrong. I saw it Tuesday and was the only one in the theater (not unusual after 10 PM on a weeknight) but it hasn't been doing much business all week. Probably because there are 3 other movies out geared for a Black audience: _The Color Purple, The Book of Clarence_ a comedy that turns into a redemption story (excellent),_ and _American Fiction_ which was sold as a comedy but turned out to be a family tragedy and had a disjointed ending (so-so). _Origin's_ last day in my theater is Wednesday (today). I thought the beginning was messed up, not because of the film or cinematography, but because we're introduced to a young Black man in peril and they cut away before it's resolved and I don't remember them saying it's Trayvon Martin. It took 15 minutes or so for the movie to get back on track while I was using my phone and thinking of leaving. It takes a lot longer to get back to this man's murder. As an idea or discovery film it then does that part pretty well from then on, and she makes a good case for caste being the origin or basis of racism, discrimination and murder. I didn't read the book, _Caste: The Origins of our Discontent_ but apparently the ideas on the dry-erase board are her 8 pillars supporting caste, some strong, others malleable. My only other complaint is that Isabel's mother says something about a Little League game that I didn't catch, but we only follow up on that near the end of the film, and find the author missed interviewing the grown man by a couple years, who as a Black boy couldn't swim in the community pool. So who was he in relation to her mother?

[@lisalee3067]

An absolutely amazing movie 🍿 loved it!

[@larryclevelandUSMC]

MASTERPIECE!!!❤

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yes!

[@twania36]

It was awesome

[@TheNerdSocial]

Yeah, Ava, Aunjanue, and Wilkerson are all geniuses of their particular crafts.

[@solventtofreedom7361]

It has enlightened me to artificial hierarchy Caste system.

[@solventtofreedom7361]

I cry cry cried because she has convay the truth

[@dyardsale5475]

Make a movie to teach blacks to overcome their circumstances instead of whining, begging, and blaming others for their own downfall.

[@johnmolina3284]

Misfire propaganda. If some novels are "unfilmable" this is more so.

[@TheNerdSocial]

Sorry you didn't like the film.

[@johnmolina3284]

no need to say sorry. Just not a good movie. Filmmakers (?) today don't know how to tell a story and never learned the art of subtlety.@@TheNerdSocial

[@kmurray559]

@@johnmolina3284You must be a troll. It must threaten your way of thinking and that’s uncomfortable. I understand 😏

[@johnmolina3284]

LOL I'm a cinephile of the 20th century. Have you NEVER read how some books are "unfilmable"??? This is one of them. So the screenwriter(s) had to improvise a lot. As a narrative, it is terrible. As for its "message," is nothing but post_Modernist crap. Yeah, "Selma" was a good movie, but "13" was very narrow in its scope and woke. I'm not impressed with DuVarney. @@kmurray559

[@Ajani77]

Great review! I’m curious to hear more of your take from a spoiler lens. I was a bit unpleased by the insinuation of race trumping caste. Around the world members of the lower caste are typically of darker hue. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subtle back-burner approach to race, concluding that caste is the real issue (the core problem) over race/phenotypes (eg Jews in Germany). Side note: 246 🫶🏾

[@TheNerdSocial]

We are working on a more spoiler follow-up to this review and our reviews for "The Color Purple" and "American Fiction." The problem is that no one watches conversations we post that are 45 minutes or longer because none of us have the public profile of Joe Rogan or Howard Stern, who can go on for hours. Even if people did watch, editing a review like this one for "Origin," which is only 8 minutes long, takes a few hours. It takes the better part of two days to finish and edit a video that is an hour long, and we all have other jobs (some of us have more than one other job). The thought right now is to do a 30-minute video answering questions and getting into the spoiler details of prestige Black films from 2023. Maybe when we grow, we'll do something like Patreon and have those deep-dive, hours-long conversations for subscribers.

[@cv8499]

I think her point is that race or skin tone became one more reason to place people in a lower caste, but it isn't the only reason. Even if we were all exactly the same color and had the same features, people would find reasons to set up these hierarchies for the sake of exerting power. Anti-Blackness and anti-semitism served as easy ways to institute this hierarchy because the physical differences are evident. But as we can see, the shifting markers of who is considered "white" and who isn't is based on things other than skin color or facial features. Irish and Italian immigrants were not considered white until white supremacists in American realized that adding them to their numbers would help them retain power. I think you're right, though, that in the movie, how darker people are treated around the world was downplayed a bit for the sake of Isabel's argument.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I think the original poster meant they don't like the idea that "caste trumps race." The point of the author being that Jews didn't look too different from other Germans, and Untouchables/Dalits didn't look different from other Indians. Color matters more in America, which the author calls skin over the "bones" of caste, which has a legacy. Caste can also be considered for the subjugation and abuse of women who might be 2nd class, with Blacks being 3rd or 4th class in the hierarchy, depending on where Hispanics/Latinos (non-English speakers only?) and Natives fit. The abuse of Native American "water protector" protesters in the last few years was shocking (along with reporters covering them), but perhaps is more understandable in terms of caste than pure racism. Same with undocumented Hispanics, currently (though Haitians usually have it worse). This movie and the conversation-interview videos I watched today don't refer to the psychology exercise "Blue Eyes Brown Eyes," but that seems relevant to the creation of caste. I'd agree that KZbinrs pontificating for 45 minutes or more is a turnoff. I watched several 10 minute interviews with the author today, filmed when her book _Caste..._ came out, and the director before the movie was released in January. I think the author might warrant an hour-long video of a lecture on the subject and Q&A.

[@TheSponky]

Nathan you did a wonderful and comprehensive review here as much as you could re no spoilers. Can't wait to see the film. Question, does Ava take into account the newer info about the lies from principal players in the Trayvon tragedy, like the GF?