In 'Origin,' Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor seek the roots of racism

Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” takes a heavyweight work of historical and sociological inquiry and transforms it into a deeply humanistic drama and globe-trotting detective story. DuVernay's adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s bestselling “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” is the director's most ambitious film yet. It's also the one she’s most proud of because it took going outside the studio system to make it. If “Caste” sought to describe some of the man-made hierarchies that restrict human life, “Origin” is itself a work that boldly transcends conventional Hollywood limitations. It opens in theaters Friday.