The Ava DuVernay-directed “Origin” (out this Friday) is based on Wilkerson’s 2020 bestseller “Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents.” It stars Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal and Niecy Nash-Betts. In the book, Wilkerson weaves connections between Nazi Germany, India’s caste system and slavery and segregation in America to form her argument. Although race is a tool of caste, Wilkerson notes that relying only on racism to understand those social hierarchies isn’t sufficient.

Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

It’s a thesis so intense that DuVernay read the book three times after its release. Still, she wanted to provide a fresh emotional context in the film adaptation.

“We were constantly thinking, debating, dissecting, pushing the material to get to a place where it was accurate but accessible,” DuVernay said. “It’s almost a 500-page book of anthropological theory, right? How do you put that into a story that has human beings and romance and mystery and all that good stuff?”

The movie is often just as complicated the book. It was filmed in 38 days and shot in three different countries — Germany, India, and the United States (”Origin” was partially filmed in Savannah). It travels through different time periods and locations with an intimacy that’s similar to DuVernay’s previous historical dramas, like 2014′s “Selma” and her 2019 Netflix series “When They See Us.”

“Origin” opens with Trayvon Martin walking in his neighborhood, mere minutes before he was killed by George Zimmerman. The pivotal case sets in motion Wilkerson’s exploration of the matter on a deeper level. Along the way, she experiences tremendous grief, triggered by the deaths of her mom and husband, that informs her thesis. “Origin” often appears too congested for its own good, but the performance of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor rises above the noise.

Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

DuVernay said working with Ellis-Taylor (who also starred in “When They See Us”) on the film was her “most intellectually rigorous partnership with an actor.”

Mind over matter

The best moments of “Origin” arrive when Ellis-Taylor portrays Wilkerson’s intimacy with her own mind — one that even in loss still has the propensity for seeking the depths of society’s biggest dilemmas. She depicts a scholar who’s all about seeking the answers rather than regurgitating the questions. Ellis-Taylor illuminates this throughout the film so brilliantly that Wilkerson’s brain feels like a primary character.

To do that, Ellis-Taylor channeled her own grief. Her mom died from Parkinson’s disease in 2019. The part-time Atlanta resident changed her last name from Ellis to Ellis-Taylor to honor her late mother.

She found new purpose in reading Wilkerson’s book.

She doesn’t agree with everything in “Caste” (she critiques Wilkerson’s argument about the racial caste system not necessarily being rooted in hate), but she said the book gave her a new language to understand the world. ”You always feel that she is within her words, weaving herself within her words and you want to take a journey with someone like that.”

DuVernay knew Ellis-Taylor would be a force in the film. “The hardest thing to do as an actress is to be quiet and to think on screen and to be able to transfer emotions that are coming from inside as opposed to being shown outside,” DuVernay said. “She does that so delicately in such a nuanced way.”

The depths of DuVernay’s adoration for Ellis-Taylor is highlighted in a recent Instagram post. DuVernay shared a clip of Ellis-Taylor promoting the film outside of an AMC: “I wish she was at the Globes or SAG Awards or Critics Choice or the other nominations that didn’t come,” DuVernay wrote in the caption.

DuVernay said her viral clip was more about praising the work of her lead actress rather than being an indictment on Hollywood. “I’m saying, look, this could have been louder. This could have been a lot of things. It’s not that, but what is it? It is a film that is about freedom. It’s about justice and dignity for all it’s been made. It’s going to be in the world. It’s gonna find its way, and no one’s going stop that, and no one’s going to stop her.”

Ellis-Taylor simply wanted people to know about the film. So, when she was in Los Angeles, she went to a nearby AMC and became a one-woman promotion team.

It’s something she’ll likely do again. Amid the conversations about Black actresses being undervalued (Taraji P. Henson recently highlighted the issue during a press run for “The Color Purple”), Ellis-Taylor is glad her peers are united on that front.

But she doesn’t feel overlooked.

Credit: atsushi nishijima

Credit: atsushi nishijima

She uplifts films by Black female directors like Savannah Leaf’s “Earth Mama” and A.V. Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One” — movies released in the past year that she wishes got more recognition.

“It would be so great that they all could be in the same conversation as these larger films,” said Ellis-Taylor, who’s also in “The Color Purple.” “I guess we just have to keep at it and know that there are people out there who do see us and want to see more of what we do.”

DuVernay said “Origin” is her first film she’s made where doesn’t really know how people will react. A reaction she absolutely wasn’t expecting? The nine-minute standing ovation she received at the Venice Film Festival last year. She made history as the first Black American woman to have her film shown during the competition. DuVernay was terrified.

“I was kind of out of my body,” she said. “It was a beautiful step in a journey that will keep going. That’s the beauty of film. There’s no end to it. The film is forever. Thirty years from now, someone will be watching this on TV, or their phone or whatever way people will be watching movies at that point, this film will be around. And that’s a blessing.”

MOVIE PREVIEW

“Origin”

Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Niecy Nash-Betts and Jon Bernthal. Directed by Ava DuVernay

Rated PG-13 violence, smoking, racism, language, some disturbing images, thematic material, at metro theaters. 2 hours 15 minutes.