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This review was originally published on September 7 out of the Venice Film Festival.
On June 10, 2024,Originbecame available tostream on Hulu.
Ava DuVernaysOriginis both essay film and melodrama, though neither description quite does it justice.
It sounds, on its surface, kind of insane.
The results are incredibly ambitious and, frankly, devastating.
Racism as the primary language to understand everything is insufficient, Wilkerson reflects to some colleagues.
Everything cant be racist.
Something else, something deeper, is at work here.
DuVernay isnt afraid of sentimentality.
The films depiction of moments out of history is similarly textured.
A Nazi book-burning is nightmarishly in-your-face.
Glimpses into the Middle Passage are close-up and stomach-turning.
Throughout, the director seems to know exactly what details to focus on for maximum emotional impact.
And her feelings for them come through in every scene, no matter how small the moment.
Will it work for everyone?
I can only say that the movie left me a complete wreck.
