August 17, 2023
FILM: THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY
DIRECTED BY: MORRISA MALTZ
STARRING: LILY GLADSTONE, RAYMOND LEE, RICHARD RAY WHITMAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There’s a point during the debut feature by Morrisa Maltz, The Unknown Country, when a feeling washes over as we realize we’ve been going on a spiritual journey with the protagonist Tana and all of the questions we’ve had seem to vanish. It’s as satisfying and enlightening a moment for us as it is for the character.
Lily Gladstone stars as Tana in a performance that is largely internal but also expressive and deeply felt with each passing scene. The film begins with Tana on a journey out of Minneapolis. There isn’t any significant exposition to provide us with all of the details and circumstances of her journey. We don’t even really know where she is going. What we do know is that it is cold, dark, and snowy like a good Midwestern winter’s night. There’s a hint that Tana may be in some kind of danger but that small narrative arc dissipates as do most of the brief sub-stories that pop up within the film. We are on the road with Tana as she “floats” south through the center of the country. We are there for her adventure and emotional waves.
There is nothing traditional about Maltz’s narrative. We don’t experience a lot of highs or lows or big dramatic moments. Rather we are there as a friend to Tana to keep her company as she deals with a recent loss, grief, and loneliness. This may turn off some viewers wanting something more to chew on. Occasionally there is foreboding music and questionable characters that we feel might lead to something significant for Tana, but that’s not what Maltz is going for here. The film The Unknown Country most resembles is the Oscar-winning Nomadland starring Frances McDormand which also features a character traveling across the country, dealing with loss while seemingly wandering aimlessly to find herself. Tana, on the other hand, has a specific destination in mind. She’s not without a home, but she does have to come to terms with who she is at a critical time in her life.
One feature of Nomadland is the use of non-professional actors to play the many locals the McDormand character interacts with on her journey. The same approach is used here. Tana encounters a host of interesting people from South Dakota down to Texas. Many of their character names are the same as the actors playing them. They are essentially playing themselves. In this regard the film has an almost documentary-like feel, as fact and fiction are merged with the locals and specific settings. Maltz regularly gives these people a chance to tell their stories through voice-over narration, whether they be a gay shop owner or the friend of a 90-year-old dancer. Like the film, these are people quietly contemplating their lives. Their stories feed Tana.
At one point, she meets an uncle she hasn’t seen in years. Being that they are both Native American, he embraces what she is going through by emphasizing the importance of the spiritual nature of traveling and exploring. Along the way, Tana spends time with other distant family members of her ancestral tribe. She witnesses how they embrace various traditional customs while conversely watching Friends on their televisions.
There’s a warmth to many of the people Tana encounters even if the outside world appears dark and dreary. Later, as she drives towards Dallas, we hear conservative talk radio which presents another regional perspective that may or may not help in Tana’s journey. Eventually she meets a man on a horse who doesn’t speak English and is clearly moving through the desert on his own path at his own pace. The skies have opened up and become more vibrant and alive. By this time, so has Tana as she reaches her ultimate destination and reclaims a part of herself and her family’s past.
The Unknown Country is not a film for everyone. It follows its own path that is definitely non-Hollywood. Patience is also required but, as I previously stated, going through it might make one feel they have gone through something really special with Tana by the end and are better for it.
The Unknown Country opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center.
FILM: THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY
DIRECTED BY: MORRISA MALTZ
STARRING: LILY GLADSTONE, RAYMOND LEE, RICHARD RAY WHITMAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There’s a point during the debut feature by Morrisa Maltz, The Unknown Country, when a feeling washes over as we realize we’ve been going on a spiritual journey with the protagonist Tana and all of the questions we’ve had seem to vanish. It’s as satisfying and enlightening a moment for us as it is for the character.
Lily Gladstone stars as Tana in a performance that is largely internal but also expressive and deeply felt with each passing scene. The film begins with Tana on a journey out of Minneapolis. There isn’t any significant exposition to provide us with all of the details and circumstances of her journey. We don’t even really know where she is going. What we do know is that it is cold, dark, and snowy like a good Midwestern winter’s night. There’s a hint that Tana may be in some kind of danger but that small narrative arc dissipates as do most of the brief sub-stories that pop up within the film. We are on the road with Tana as she “floats” south through the center of the country. We are there for her adventure and emotional waves.
There is nothing traditional about Maltz’s narrative. We don’t experience a lot of highs or lows or big dramatic moments. Rather we are there as a friend to Tana to keep her company as she deals with a recent loss, grief, and loneliness. This may turn off some viewers wanting something more to chew on. Occasionally there is foreboding music and questionable characters that we feel might lead to something significant for Tana, but that’s not what Maltz is going for here. The film The Unknown Country most resembles is the Oscar-winning Nomadland starring Frances McDormand which also features a character traveling across the country, dealing with loss while seemingly wandering aimlessly to find herself. Tana, on the other hand, has a specific destination in mind. She’s not without a home, but she does have to come to terms with who she is at a critical time in her life.
One feature of Nomadland is the use of non-professional actors to play the many locals the McDormand character interacts with on her journey. The same approach is used here. Tana encounters a host of interesting people from South Dakota down to Texas. Many of their character names are the same as the actors playing them. They are essentially playing themselves. In this regard the film has an almost documentary-like feel, as fact and fiction are merged with the locals and specific settings. Maltz regularly gives these people a chance to tell their stories through voice-over narration, whether they be a gay shop owner or the friend of a 90-year-old dancer. Like the film, these are people quietly contemplating their lives. Their stories feed Tana.
At one point, she meets an uncle she hasn’t seen in years. Being that they are both Native American, he embraces what she is going through by emphasizing the importance of the spiritual nature of traveling and exploring. Along the way, Tana spends time with other distant family members of her ancestral tribe. She witnesses how they embrace various traditional customs while conversely watching Friends on their televisions.
There’s a warmth to many of the people Tana encounters even if the outside world appears dark and dreary. Later, as she drives towards Dallas, we hear conservative talk radio which presents another regional perspective that may or may not help in Tana’s journey. Eventually she meets a man on a horse who doesn’t speak English and is clearly moving through the desert on his own path at his own pace. The skies have opened up and become more vibrant and alive. By this time, so has Tana as she reaches her ultimate destination and reclaims a part of herself and her family’s past.
The Unknown Country is not a film for everyone. It follows its own path that is definitely non-Hollywood. Patience is also required but, as I previously stated, going through it might make one feel they have gone through something really special with Tana by the end and are better for it.
The Unknown Country opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center.