Released only months after the George Floyd protests that swept the United States in 2020, and garnering further attention throughout that year’s Election, Isabel Wilkerson‘s “Caste: The Origins of Out Discontents” was an impactful success that spent over a year on The New York Times’ nonfiction best seller list.
Successful as the book was, its author is perhaps less of an immediate figure. Ava DuVernay‘s Origin aims to alter that, with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor‘s portrayal of Wilkerson serving as the film’s anchor, delivering a tender performance that transcends the occasional melodramatic inclinations and momentum-breaking mentality the film sporadically adheres to.
DuVernay has expressed her ability in recreating atmospheric real-life events for filmic purposes in previous work, and Origin proves no different, with the story that catapulted Wilkerson’s book opening the film; the 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an African American, who was fatally shot by a Hispanic American in a white Floridian neighbourhood. The opening sequence is more suggestive in its approach, with the more emotional outlay being saved for later in the film when Isabel listens to the 911 recorded tapes, with the shooter calling the police himself, essentially announcing his own intentions.
This story is one of many that Isabel researches, and DuVernay intersplices Origin with these very tales – the shipyard worker who is believed to be the only man photographed in a crowd of workers refusing to perform the Nazi salute; segregation of a nine-year-old black boy from his white baseball team at a 1951 pool party – as the author pieces together her eventual works. There’s no denying how important each story strand is, and Isabel observing the separate cases of racism and injustice is wildly heartbreaking as it is fascinating, but the filmmaker does run the risk of aiming for too many inclusions throughout.
As much as Origin bases itself around Isabel’s work, her personal life – and subsequent suffering – drives much of her professional motivation. Her ailing mother (Emily Yancy), adoring husband (Jon Bernthal) and fiery cousin (Niecy Nash-Betts) are all tragically lost over the course of the film’s 140 minutes, and, at first, it seems difficult to comprehend where DuVernay will move such a narrative with a character who seemingly has little left to live for. These moments in her life only seem to bring something of an executive clarity though, and thankfully DuVernay’s script never rests on an emotionally manipulative mentality in detailing Isabel’s continuing path.
Whilst a book such as “Caste” would arguably benefit more from being made into a documentary – the sheer volume of the stories included could easily make way for multiple, dedicated chapters – there’s no denying the impact of Wilkerson’s story, DuVernay’s treatment, and Ellis Taylor’s divinely understated performance. In a sea of showier films, audiences seeking genuine stimulation and proof that there’s always something ready to watch at the cinemas best look to something like Origin for their answer.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Origin is screening in Australian theatres now.
