Movie Review: The Unknown Country

The Unknown Country is an outstanding movie that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Inspired by the likes of Wim Wenders and Agnes Varda, director Morrisa Maltz crafted an emotional and arresting journey through Midwest and Western America.

In the film, Tana (Lily Gladstone), drives from Minnesota to Dallas searching for some catharsis following the death of her grandmother. She makes various stops, from gas stations to motels to an Indian Reservation her family lives to attend a wedding.

There was no script for The Unknown Country, only a treatment outlining certain events, which is a bold way to make a film and could go awry if not handled properly. But Maltz knew this was the right way to tell the story. She makes us feel like we are a fly on the wall for Tana’s journey. We see all of her interactions and looks and we feel her emotions, like the joy she feels at the wedding of her cousin (an actual wedding of two Native Americans) or the fear that sets over her at a dark gas station in the middle of the night. When Tana is just driving, Maltz beautifully photographs America, showing her journey from the cold mountains to the warm city lights and everything in between. I was in awe of the landscape shots. It makes you think and look at America differently. The route Tana is traveling and the places she goes through are areas unknown to me and it makes you appreciate just how beautiful America can be.

The weight of the movie lies on the shoulders of actor Lily Gladstone. Without a script and with the film hardly using any real actors, every interaction Gladstone has with each person needs to come off as real and not forced and that is exactly what she does. The conversations she has with these people, from an enthusiastic diner waitress to a friendly gas station clerk feel as authentic as you talking to someone at a restaurant or gas station. Gladstone also takes us on an emotional journey with Tana about her trying to find catharsis following the death of her grandmother, whom she was close to. This drives the film home and makes the final moments soar. Gladstone isn’t a household name (she will be in a few months, though, as she has a big role in the new Martin Scorsese film, Killer of the Flower Moon), and her not being super famous might have some people thinking that this is a documentary and that Maltz is just following this woman on this specific road trip. It’s outstanding work by Gladstone to give such a grounded, realistic performance while also being able to work with such a free-flowing film.

The Unknown Country is unlike any movie in 2023. It’s a beautiful look at a different part of America and a beautiful journey of a woman dealing with the death of a loved one.

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