DRAMA The ever-adventurous Ava DuVernay (Selma) has written and directed one of the most audacious film adaptations since, well, 2002’s Adaptation. Her starting point is Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 nonfiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, which argued that discrimination is rooted not in race but—we’ll use her words—“ancestry and often immutable traits, traits that . . . are ascribed life-anddeath meaning.” Origin imagines Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis- Taylor) piecing together her research, interspersed with dramatic re-creations of Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South. This approach takes getting used to, but by the end the film creates a powerful canvas of suffering. Jon Bernthal has a small but key role as Wilkerson’s husband. (In theaters Jan. 19, PG-13)
ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/NEON
PEACOCK | The TraitorsREALITY The breakout hit returns, with a new batch of celebrities (including Dancing With the Stars’ Maksim Chmerkovskiy and several Real Housewives) playing pretend-murder in a castle in Scotland. One contestant describes host Alan Cumming as a “chef’s kiss of a human being.” Just so! (New episodes launch Thursdays)
And don’t be surprised if Oscar nominations follow on Jan. 23
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: EUAN CHERRY/PEACOCK; SEACIA PAVAO/FOCUS FEATURES; MELINDA SUE GORDON/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; NEON; APPLE TV+