Origin
Short description
Origin is a drama centred on Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who embarks on a far-reaching investigation into the origins of injustice while coping with a devastating personal loss. Her research takes her across the world as she examines caste as a hidden system of human division and traces how it has shaped societies, including her own. Alongside the grief she carries, she encounters evidence of human endurance and finds the resolve to complete a major work. The film is based on Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
Ava DuVernay directed and wrote the screenplay, and produced with Paul Goodwin Garnes and Sarah Perlman Bremner. It is the sixth film she directed, following Middle of Nowhere, Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time and Family Feud, and preceding 14th. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Wilkerson, with Niecy Nash, Jon Bernthal, Emily Yancy, Finn Wittrock and Victoria Pedretti among the 71 credited cast members; 49 crew members are credited. The production had a budget of 38 million USD and a worldwide box office of about 4 million USD.
Critical response was warmer than the broader audience picture: critics gave it 7.4 out of 10 across 201 reviews, while on IMDb it holds 7.2 from around 8,100 votes and on TMDB 6.1 from 84 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- The text about the character played by Jon Bernthal, which is heard in the film, was taken from the obituary of the real Brett Hamilton, published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.
- To a certain extent, director, screenwriter, and producer Ava DuVernay funded the project through grants, including donations from the Ford Foundation.
- According to Ava DuVernay, the story about what happened by the pool was told by an extra who had experienced something similar in real life. According to the script, it was supposed to be told by Onajanu Ellis's character.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
