Origin: depicting Isabel Wilkerson’s extraordinary book on caste
WORDS BY PUJA NANDI
Origin, brings the subject of a nonfiction book by Isabel Wilkerson to life on the big screen. Wilkerson, who is played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, is the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. In 2020 her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents was published, and it forms the basis for Origin as told through Wilkerson’s life events leading up to the publishing of the book. Directed by Ava DuVernay (When They See Us, 13th) – who possesses a special directing craft in leaving long-lasting impressions when spotlighting social injustice – this film is an ambitious leap of faith from DuVernay which results in Origin being the shining beacon in her catalogue.
The film begins with the harrowing murder of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman. From there, the storyline does not follow a chronology, rather it cuts to certain points in Wilkerson’s life and then back to an event that re-enacts what she is researching for her book. DuVernay deftly weaves in these vignettes from other places and other eras to pique interest in this intricate topic.
We’re taken from Nazi Germany where we see a German-Jewish couple desperately trying to be together, to India where we see Dalits waist-deep collecting human excrement – a job that they are forced to do simply by virtue of the caste they are born into. Later, we see Wilkerson visiting India and engrossed in conversation with Dr Suraj Yengde, who plays himself as a prominent academic and activist on caste and Dalit rights. They talk about the crucial role Dalit rights leader, B.R. Ambedkar, played when the 1950 Indian Constitution outlawed caste discrimination and created affirmative-action quotas for Dalits and indigenous people. It leaves you wondering what Ambedkar would say today at the ongoing caste discrimination in India, despite his best efforts. In another vignette of her research, is the discovery that Nazis had modelled their Nuremberg Laws after Jim Crow laws of segregation in Southern USA.
All of these historical and global depictions of caste prejudice in action culminate in Wilkerson’s theory that it’s something deeper than racism propelling the prejudice — it’s caste. Throughout Origin, we see Wilkerson connect the dots between caste and slavery. She makes the point that caste is the system in which humans impose some form of social domination over another and that this flawed need for human valuation predates and underpins racism.
As complex and contentious as that idea may be, the theory itself is engagingly represented in Origin. DuVernay imbues this topic with deeply affecting moments from Wilkerson’s life which is hit by tidal waves of grief and sorrow. Those scenes are also evidence of how much love has touched her life. Complemented by visually stunning motifs like falling leaves, Ellis-Taylor portrays these moments so intimately. It is clear that her experiences, both of sorrow and love, motivate her to explore how people can be capable of such hate.
It goes without saying that Wilkerson’s book on caste, and its academic discourse, is simply impossible to distil in a 2-hour 20-minute film. However, DuVernay does not intend to hold Origin to that level of nuance and watching it will only make you want to learn more through Wilkerson’s book. Instead, DuVernay aims to interpret this burly topic in a way that is relatable, accessible and deeply empathetic of people and is guaranteed to question the way you’ve understood racism to date. In that sense, this film is essential viewing for anyone who wants to further their understanding of structural prejudice and alternatively, to be challenged on it.
Origin is out now in cinemas (UK and USA) and will be available on digital streaming platforms from 12 March 2024.