The Unknown Country

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The Unknown Country

Released Jul 28, 2023

1h 25m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her cousin's wedding. She packs up her late grandmother's Cadillac and hits the open road, driving from her home in Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana sets off to retrace a surreal journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for the spot captured in an old family photograph. As she travels, Tana finds connection in the stories of everyday people who've settled down far off the main roads including Isaac (Raymond Lee), who provides a pivotal clue to understanding the lost location that could cultivate closure. A personal reverie summoned from a beguiling mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is an arresting debut feature from Morrisa Maltz.

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Critics Consensus

Lily Gladstone's outstanding performances powers The Unknown Country through some narrative drift to its ultimately profound destination.

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Jenny Nulf

Austin Chronicle

The Unknown Country is a naturalistic exploration of America that’s hopeful of human connection in the midst of a country that sometimes feels hostile.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 17, 2023

Full Review

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Inside [Tana]'s making a parallel set of discoveries, as does the cinematic reverie we’re watching.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 24, 2023

Full Review

Dmitry Samarov

Chicago Reader

Morrisa Maltz’s debut narrative feature deftly mixes in documentary-style sketches...

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

It kindles my curiosity about people I encounter only briefly in seemingly incidental stops along the way. It makes every encounter along the road seem like an opportunity to 'love my neighbor,' establish a new friendship, learn a new story.

Rated: A-

Apr 29, 2024

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A wondrous road odyssey that perfectly captures the exhilaration and the anxiety of being a woman alone on the open road.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

Similar to 'Nomadland,' except without all the fatuous, condescending baloney.

Jan 18, 2024

Full Review

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Kevin L

A lovely, quiet film built on a bisecting journey from Minnesota to South Dakota, then on to the Texas/Mexico border. Lead figure Tana seeks to find the location where her recently deceased grandmother's photo was taken long ago in some southwestern countryside in west Texas, and maybe find some solace and closure in its completion. Often visually impressive, "The Unknown Country" covers South Dakota's stark rural look along with long, long stretches of straight narrow highways on down to Texas as Tana stops in small towns, motel locales, and briefly into the lives of those who inhabit them. She finds some connection and joy in the stories, personalities, and dance halls of everyday people who've settled down far off the main tracts. Led by stand out work by the remarkable Lily Gladstone, this is an impressive feature debut by director/writer Morrisa Maltz. 3.3 stars

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

Greg R

Not gonna lie. This one is gonna got you in the feels. It's just too long. It starts to bore.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/24

Full Review

Jerry B

What a wonderful little gem. Thanks for taking us along on the journey.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/14/23

Full Review

Sara W

This movie way beyond beautiful. It left me with so many emotions. I highly recommend that you check this one out. The lead actress does a breathtaking job.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/23

Full Review

Jason R

Morrisa Maltz's beautiful film "The Unknown Country" is the best movie of this year, and also the most important one. It's a perfect and seamless film, with an unforgettable performance by Lily Gladstone that's among the finest of its kind in cinema history. I saw the movie twice on the only two screens on which it showed in all of New England. From the brilliant widescreen landscape cinematography to the just-right music by Neil Halstead of the shoegaze band Slowdive, this movie takes you on a distinctive, heartfelt journey to the center of America and what America means, in senses both small and profound. It's also one of the most intelligent films out there on the theme of individual and cultural grief.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/23

Full Review

Alyssa T

Absolutely my favorite film of the year so far. A truly stunning, dreamlike slice-of-life panorama with a brave, astonishing lead performance by Lily Gladstone, who says more with a glance than most actors can with a page of dialogue. Morrisa Maltz's clever, empathetic blend of documentary elements with her tender narrative and Andrew Hajek's world-class cinematography really work for me in a way I don't think many other filmmakers could pull off. A beautiful exploration of grief and identity with more heart than I've seen in a film in a long time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

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Morrisa Maltz

Director

Lily Gladstone

Tana

Raymond Lee

Isaac

Ali Lopez-Sohaili

Tommy

Richard Ray Whitman

Grandpa August

Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux

Self

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The Unknown Country: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her cousin's wedding. She packs up her late grandmother's Cadillac and hits the open road, driving from her home in Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana sets off to retrace a surreal journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for the spot captured in an old family photograph. As she travels, Tana finds connection in the stories of everyday people who've settled down far off the main roads including Isaac (Raymond Lee), who provides a pivotal clue to understanding the lost location that could cultivate closure. A personal reverie summoned from a beguiling mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is an arresting debut feature from Morrisa Maltz.

Director: Morrisa Maltz
Producer: Katherine Harper, Laura Heberton, Thomas Heitkamp, Morrisa Maltz, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Vanara Taing
Screenwriter: Morrisa Maltz
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Cold Iron Pictures, Wooden Finger Studios, Unpaved Rodes
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.9K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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