Origin movie review: Ava DuVernay has made much better films than this didactic trudge

Ava DuVernay made history in Venice by being the first female African American director to participate in the festival competition. It’s possible that the festival jury will be swayed enough by the power of Origin’s story to award her the Golden Lion, but there are better films than this in competition.

DuVernay’s film is based on the bestselling 2020 book by Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents. The book’s argument is that caste, rather than race, iss’ attempt to eradicate the Jewish population. Origin looks at the story behind the book and at Wilkerson’s personal journey that leads her to write it.