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Bolivia, Uruguay, France · 2022
1h 28m
Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Starring José Calcina, Luisa Quispe, Santos Choque
Genre Drama
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On the cracked, dry land of the Bolivian Altiplano, an elderly Quechua couple, Virginio and Sisa, carry on a humble routine while Virginio's health is beginning to fail. During a difficult drought, their grandson Clever shows up, trying to convince them to move to the city. Ultimately, Virginio and Sisa must decide to stay or leave.
For all its otherworldly beauty, “Utama” could benefit from slightly more robust dramatic beats to complement the hyper-sensorial experience that imbues in the spectator, especially in addressing the displacement of Indigenous communities across the Americas and beyond.
The Playlist by Gregory Ellwood
Admittedly, Utama is a simple story, but one that packs an emotional punch without endless exposition or symbolism.
The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer
Utama is very much a pessimistic film, never shying away from the realities faced by those who still inhabit the highlands of Bolivia. And yet it’s also convincingly, and sometimes movingly, optimistic.
[A] sublime, quietly elegiac feature debut.
Through the love story at the heart of this visually arresting feature debut, Utama offers the audience a relatable connection with a way of life which is on the verge of extinction.
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