Whether through narrative features such as Selma and Middle of Nowhere, or through documentaries as with Colin in Black & White, or television series such as When They See Us, Ava DuVernay has explored race from many different angles. It’s one of the things I respect about her most. The issue or race relations in this country is complicated and multi-faceted, and DuVernay has given proper respect to that fact. And now she’s doing it again by adapting one of the most important recent books to tackle the subject, Isabel Wilkerson‘s 2020 bestseller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
But Origin will not be your ordinary adaptation, which would probably look a lot like a documentary. Instead, DuVernay has penned a story that takes an intimate approach seen through the life of Wilkerson, played by recent Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis.
In Ellis’ first leading role, she plays Isabel Wilkerson, a writer as she travels around the world grieving the loss of a loved one while exploring the topic of race as part of a caste system. A caste system is basically the social categorization of people through hierarchy, race, ethnicity, gender, and more.
Also in the cast are Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Niecy Nash-Betts, Audra McDonald, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Nick Offerman
Vanity Fair has revealed our first look at Origin before the film’s world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where DuVernay will be the first African-American filmmaker to premiere their film in competition for the prestigious Golden Lion.
