A24 Studio showed a new excerpt from the fantasy series «The Legend of Ochi» — in which Willem Dafoe’s character sings a Ukrainian folk song.
The fragment features the song «I would take a bandura», which Defoe sings while walking through the Carpathian forest. The vocals of Ukrainian opera singer Andriy Kikot are heard in the background, and Defoe sings along. Several other Ukrainian songs are heard in the film: «Rusalonka» performed by Rusia, «Three Tips» by Lina Prokhorova, and the already mentioned «I would take a bandura».
«The Legend of Ochi» — American fantasy set in a conventionally mythical version of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The plot centers on a girl named Yulia, who grew up in the mountains among magical creatures. She meets a creature named Eyes and has to bring him home.
The main role of Julia is played by German actress Helena Zengel, who became famous after the movie «News from Around the World» with Tom Hanks. The film also stars Emily Watson («Chernobyl», «Dune: The Prophecy»), Finn Wolfhard («Stranger Things», «It», «Ghostbusters») and Willem Dafoe himself.
The film was directed and written by Isaiah Saxon, and the subject of the Ukrainian Carpathians will be his feature debut. Previously, he worked on music videos for Björk, Panda Bear, Dirty Projectors, Kanye West and Grizzly Bear. For him, this film is also a personal story: the director explores his family’s Ukrainian roots.
«The Legend of Ochi» will be released in Ukraine on April 24. This movie can be called one of the most interesting new ones in April 2025.
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