The Unknown Country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYWlAiFypwo

2023 ‧ Adventure, Drama, Mystery ‧ 1h 25min

An unexpected invitation rushes a grieving young woman into a lonely road trip through the American Midwest towards the border between Texas and Mexico.

Screened at the 2022 Flyover Film Festival.

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ABOUT

The Unknown Country is a 2022 drama film directed by Morrisa Maltz, from a screenplay by Maltz and a story by Maltz, Lily Gladstone, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, and Vanara Taing. It stars Gladstone and Raymond Lee.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2022, and it was released by Music Box Films in the United States on July 28, 2023. For her work, Gladstone won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.

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CREDITS

Director

Morrisa Maltz

Writer

Lily Gladstone, Morrisa Maltz, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux

Stars

Lily Gladstone, Pam Richter, Tommy Heitkamp

Companies

Cold Iron Pictures, Unpaved Rodes, Wooden Finger Studios

DETAILS

Released

2023-09-12

Runtime

1h 25min

MPA

Not Available

Genres

Adventure, Drama, Mystery

CONTEXT

Countries

USA

Languages

English, North American Indian

Awards

Awards, 6 wins & 14 nominations

Keywords

american,on the road,native american,american indian,minnesota

CAST & CREW

PHOTO GALLERY

RATINGS

6.4/10

82%

6.1/10

77%

CRITICS REVIEWS

“
IndieWireCarlos Aguilar
“While the stirring visual fluidity of “The Unknown Country,” her first fiction feature and a kindhearted triumph, provides further arguments pointing to Malick likely being an influence, what distinguishes Maltz’s approximation to that style of evocatively loose filmmaking is that it’s grounded on the personal victories of real individuals. Based on that, she forges eclectic narrative devices for a tone poem with substantial dramatic meat on its bones.”

“
ColliderChase Hutchinson
“Even in the moments where it can feel a little rough around the edges, the portrait being painted is a breathtaking and unrestrained one. It all comes together to ensure that, in the long cinematic history of American road movies, The Unknown Country carves out an indelible legacy of its own all the way to its final series of shattering shots.”

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The PlaylistChristian Gallichio
“Gladstone manages to sell every emotion, moving from despair to wonder as the journey continues.”

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RogerEbert.comSheila O'Malley
“You don't watch the movie. You experience it through your senses.”

“
The Film StageJohn Fink
“There is a giant world out there, and Maltz’s first narrative feature is a rich and moving ode of the people we encounter along the way, as well as the roads not taken.”

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We Got This CoveredMartin Carr
“The Unknown Country proves to be a road trip unlike any other.”

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The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
“The quiet but stirring effect is a dreamscape of eye-opening geography, existential longing and the enduring workaday.”

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Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele
“Sometimes, The Unknown Country may be more a feeling than a movie, but that’s more than satisfactory. Attentive and artful, Maltz is a talent to watch, and in Gladstone, she’s fortunate enough to have a star (and guide) whose presence binds us to all this soulful roaming.”

“
Movie NationRoger Moore
“Gladstone carries the picture as a reactor — to the stories she hears from this waitress, that grandfatherly distant relative, the bride-to-be. But even those reactions are subdued.”

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The New York TimesLisa Kennedy
“The film’s gentle detours into the real-life stories remind us that it is the people met on the road that so often make the trip memorable.”

AWARDS

“
Denver International Film Festival2022
“2022 Nominee American Independent Award, Morrisa Maltz
2022 Winner American Independent Award, Morrisa Maltz”

“
Gotham Awards2023
“2023 Winner Gotham Independent Film Award, Lily Gladstone”

“
Film Independent Spirit Awards2024
“2024 Nominee John Cassavetes Award, Morrisa Maltz (director/writer/producer) - Lily Gladstone (writer) - Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux (writer/producer) - Vanara Taing (writer/producer) - Katherine Harper (producer) - Laura Heberton (producer) - Tommy Heitkamp (producer)”

“
SXSW Film Festival2022
“2022 Nominee SXSW Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, Morrisa Maltz”

“
Chlotrudis Awards2024
“2024 Winner Chlotrudis Award, Lily Gladstone
2024 Nominee Chlotrudis Award”

“
Austin Film Critics Association2024
“2024 Winner Breakthrough Artist Award, Lily Gladstone”

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Calgary International Film Festival2022
“2022 Nominee Best International Feature, Morrisa Maltz”

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Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US2024
“2024 Nominee Heterodox Award, Morrisa Maltz”

“
Champs-Élysées Film Festival2022
“2022 Nominee Prix du jury, Morrisa Maltz”

“
Red Nation Film Festival2023
“2023 Nominee Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Lily Gladstone
2023 Nominee Actor in a Leading Role, Richard Ray Whitman
2023 Nominee Best Picture
2023 Nominee Directing Award, Morrisa Maltz
2023 Nominee Best Original Screenplay, Lily Gladstone - Morrisa Maltz - Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux - Vanara Taing”