The Unknown Country
**This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn’t exist.
This is going to be a weird movie to bring up, but I’ve always been a big fan of the first “Cars” movie. No, the world doesn’t make a lick of sense, but the story resonates with me. It’s about someone who’s all about the spotlight, and what happens when they are forced to slow down and relax. In no way, shape or form is Morrisa Maltz’s “The Unknown Country” similar to that Pixar merchandising juggernaut, but the sense of calm in how it follows Tana as she goes on her journey caused Pixar’s film to come to mind; plus, she’s in a car for much of the movie. Now that that absurd non-sequitur is over with, on to my thoughts on the film.
Over the past fifteen years, I’ve found myself particularly drawn to films where moments, and contemplation, have been more important than complex narratives in bringing out emotions. Maltz’s film feels like a story built out of moments, memories, and meetings that add layers to the journey the main character, Tana (played by Lily Gladstone), is on. We sometimes hear more from some of the people she meets along the way than we do her, and while it’s a bit disarming at first, it makes sense. Tana is following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who went on a journey many years ago, as she goes to a relative’s wedding, and- after a loss- gets pulled back in to the world.
Gladstone had a hand in the story, which Maltz transformed into a screenplay, but it’s the images that will stick with you in this one. Maltz, aided by cinematographer Andrew Hajek, has created a road movie that feels less like a travelogue and more like a probing look at a world we’re not familiar with. Tana’s been invited unexpectedly to this wedding- we don’t really know how long it’s been since she’s seen this family, or been out in front of people, but it says something of her that she wants to venture out, to rediscover life, and family. But what happens if we don’t necessarily recognize the people we used to know before? We embrace the change, and give in to life. The film moves with the pace of a Terrence Malick film, and that’s not a bad thing- it allows us to sit with the film, with each interaction, and to- like Tana- take it in. Gladstone holds our attention every step of the way in this film, even if- sometimes- we’re left adrift in Maltz’s vision. I’m curious to see what else she might have to say in the future.
