Utama

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1:50

Utama

2022

1h 27m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In the arid Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living a tranquil life for years. While he takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, she keeps house and walks for miles with the other local women to fetch precious water. When an uncommonly long drought threatens everything they know, Virginio and Sisa must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move in with family members in the city. Their dilemma is precipitated by the arrival of their grandson Clever, who comes to visit with news. The three of them must face, each in their own way, the effects of a changing environment, the importance of tradition, and the meaning of life itself. This visually jaw-dropping debut feature by photographer-turned-filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi is lensed by award-winning cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and won the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival.

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Critics Consensus

With breathtaking cinematography and naturalistic performances, Utama touchingly captures love and tradition in times of climate change.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

12/02/2022

B+

Alejandro Loayza Grisi isn’t interested in story or action here, he's interested in the enormity of seemingly small lives.

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David Hughes

Time Out

11/22/2022

4/5

If you only see one film about Bolivian llama farmers this year, make it Utama.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

11/21/2022

3/5

A gentle and superbly shot film.

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

08/09/2024

3.5/5

Grisi’s film is cinema at its rawest, most beautiful and contemplative, even if many of its plot aspects are woefully thin and overstretched.

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Connor Lightbody

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/04/2024

4/5

a beguiling, beautiful movie, which Grisi’s passion for this subject makes ache with authenticity, but this passion never translates to anger. He just seems disappointed.

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Nuha Hassan

Nuha Hassan (Medium)

09/08/2023

Utama is a stark reminder that climate change haunts the land and the earth. A poignant film that expresses that land and cultures are important and not easy to let go of.

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Tim E

@RT47540604 11/07/2023

Sooo slow. Yes, lovely in ways, but good for critics, not for someone who wants something to happen. Glacial pace.

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Martin S

@RT23102714 10/10/2023

It is captivating, very little dialogue, you can see the nature of the characters and the immensity of the landscape.

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Tom C

@TomIowa 03/02/2023

Wonderfully expansive landscape shot beautifully. Then zeroes in on one small family, one old man determined to remain true to what he's done all his life--even as the big world around him is changing fast.

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Alejandro Loayza Grisi

Director

José Calcina

Virginio

Luisa Quispe

Sisa

Candelaria Quispe

Elena

Santos Choque

Clever

Alejandro Loayza Grisi

Screenwriter

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Utama: Trailer 1

1:50

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Synopsis

In the arid Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living a tranquil life for years. While he takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, she keeps house and walks for miles with the other local women to fetch precious water. When an uncommonly long drought threatens everything they know, Virginio and Sisa must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move in with family members in the city. Their dilemma is precipitated by the arrival of their grandson Clever, who comes to visit with news. The three of them must face, each in their own way, the effects of a changing environment, the importance of tradition, and the meaning of life itself. This visually jaw-dropping debut feature by photographer-turned-filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi is lensed by award-winning cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and won the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Producer: Santiago Loayza Grisi, Federico Moreira
Screenwriter: Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Alma Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.8K
Runtime: 1h 27m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)