Ava DuVernay talks new film “Origin” with Courier’s Merecedes Williams aka Movie Scene Queen

AVA DUVERNAY When Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilker­son was working on her 2020 New York Times bestseller, “Caste: The Origins of Our Dis­contents,” the author was hit with a series of traumatic events. As if exploring centuries of global caste wasn’t enough, Wilkerson had to manage strife and loss in her own back­yard. The film, “Ori­gin,” follows her life through this turbulent, yet triumphant time. Starring Aunjan­ue Ellis-Taylor, Neicy Nash-Betts and Jon Bernthal, “Origin” writer and director Ava DuVernay gently holds our hands through a cinematic journey of history, storytelling, and devastating truths. The flight from knowing rac­ism and understanding caste keeps viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end. This, coupled with the everyday life of a modern-day literary ge­nius, cements itself as a must-watch for both oppressors and the op­pressed. ‘I made this film for people who are struggling with their place in the world.’ – Ava DuVernay & One of the film’s strengths lies in cre­ating cinematic exam­ples of some of society’s darkest shadows—slav­ery, African diaspora, the Holocaust, and the Indian caste system. “Origin,” which is now playing in theaters such as the Waterfront (Homestead) and The Manor (Squirrel Hill), is a scholarly exploration...