An impressive directorial debut from Isaiah Saxon, “The Legend of Ochi” is almost perfect. Almost.

“The Legend of Ochi” follows Yuri (Helena Zengel), a young girl who lives in a world similar to our own — except in her home of Carpathia, people are tormented by Ochi, mythical creatures with a venomous bite. She discovers an injured Ochi, and instead of killing it like she was taught, she decides to take it home. What follows is a journey filled with estranged family members and rough terrain.

“The Legend of Ochi” isn’t a dialogue-heavy film, but rather a visual journey. It’s a masterclass in artistic design, with over 200 painted backdrops, several puppeteers and over 150 artists employed on the film. Saxon takes great care in his world-building: In a world full of CGI, he takes a practical approach by using multiple puppeteers for one small puppet. Its big eyes paired with its blue face and brown fur make Ochi one of the cutest creatures in recent cinema. I would argue that Ochi is even cuter than Grogu, the character from “The Mandalorian” more popularly known as Baby Yoda.

Saxon takes it a step further with the Ochi’s mother. She is a larger puppet, played by a real person in a suit. The mother Ochi seems scary at a glance, since she is mostly seen in the shadows, but by the end of the film, she becomes majestic. Cinematographer Evan Prosofsky highlights this universe with gorgeous shots that ring out the subtle beauty in the everyday life of Carpathia. The greens are lush, and the Ochi’s fur manages to stand out, even in a sea of color. 

The score, composed by David Longstreth, is absolutely marvelous. It’s composed of strings and reed instruments to create a whimsical yet dramatic auditory experience. It’s beautiful, but it exposes the biggest flaw in the film: its sound mixing.

The Ochi speak in a dialect that can only be described as melodic cooing. The Ochi that travels with Yuri never learns to speak English; instead, Yuri learns how to speak their language, creating a nice contrast from other creature films like “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

Even though “The Legend of Ochi” is a visual feast, the sound mixing leaves a lot to be desired. Although there aren’t many words spoken, I couldn’t catch 75% of what was said. The plot is easy to follow, but it was disappointing to lose so much of the script. 

Yuri’s dialogue was fully lost, and it wasn’t just me. After two separate screenings, I spoke to three different people who couldn’t understand the dialogue either. I had to Google the name of Carpathia — I didn’t hear it in the movie, but it was said. Yuri is a quiet character. When she spoke, it was important, but since I couldn’t hear it, I had a harder time fully understanding her character.

While the journey was clear, there were a few times where the film dragged, which felt odd for a film that was a little over 90 minutes. The relationships between Yuri and her adopted brother, Petro (Finn Wolfhard) and between Yuri and her parents — played by Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson — could have been more developed. I left the theater feeling unsatisfied, wanting more interactions between the newly completed family. That being said, the film’s plot was still pretty solid, and wasn’t slow enough to ruin Saxon’s world-building. 

“The Legend of Ochi” is a strong directorial debut made for fantasy lovers. But even with the masterclass on visual storytelling, the disappointing sound mixing and awkward pacing left a sour taste in my mouth.

Contact Christine Vigliotti at [email protected].