The Reel Review
A woman grieving the death of her grandmother embarks on a solo, long-distance drive, first to see estranged family members from her Lakota tribe in South Dakota, then to retrace her grandmother’s 1940 visit to Big Bend National Park in West Texas. Lily Gladstone stars in this road trip drama about finding oneself through travel.
In a style similar to 2020 Oscar winner Nomadland, writer/director Morrisa Maltz sprinkles her film with documentary-style interviews with the real people Tana meets on her journey – a waitress at a diner, the owner of a tiny roadside motel, a friendly convenience store clerk and the owner of a Dallas dance hall frequented by a 90-year-old patron named Flo. It is a fascinating, compassionate glimpse into the lives of ordinary Americans – a stark contrast to the politically divisive talk radio blaring in the car during Tana’s journey.
The unscripted nature of the film means there are some parts that lag. But gorgeous cinematography, from the snow-covered Plains to sweltering West Texas, mirrors the gradual warming of Tana’s personality – from a woman always mindful of the danger of traveling solo, to finally letting her guard down enough to lean into and enjoy the adventure. With its beautiful vistas and beautiful souls, The Unknown Country is an interesting and at times deeply moving journey of self-discovery.
REEL FACTS
• Writer/director Morrisa Maltz came up with the idea for The Unknown Country in 2016, when she met Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, who along with Lily Gladstone, would become co-writers.
• Lily Gladstone stars in the upcoming Martin Scorsese period drama, Flowers of the Killer Moon.
• The film is dedicated to Pam Richter, the diner waitress at the Hickok House in Deadwood, South Dakota who died of COVID in May 2020 after the film was completed.
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