Utama
Meditative and deeply romantic. Rarely has the [climate] crisis been addressed as organically—or with quite so many llamas.
Utama
In the arid Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily routine for years. While he takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, she keeps house and walks for miles with the other local women to fetch precious water. When an uncommonly long drought threatens everything they know, Virginio and Sisa must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move to the city with their descendants. Their dilemma is precipitated by the arrival of their grandson Clever, who comes to visit with news. The three of them must face, each in their own way, the effects of a changing environment, the importance of tradition, and the meaning of life itself. This visually jaw-dropping debut feature by photographer-turned-filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi is lensed by award-winning cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (Lucretia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and won the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival.
Genre
Drama
Runtime
87
Language
Quechua,
Spanish
Director
Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Writer(s)
Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Cast
José Calcina,
Luisa Quispe,
Santos Choque
Awards:
Winner, Grand Jury Prize ~ World Cinema Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival
FEATURED REVIEW
Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
Reduced to its bare bones, the story of "Utama" (which is Aymara for “our home”) is one you might think you’ve heard a hundred times. A man and a woman work the land in a remote area that’s largely deprived of the blessings of civilization. But they’re old, and their age is catching up to them. And ...
Played at
Royal 11.11.22 - 11.17.22
Glendale 11.18.22 - 11.22.22
Utama Get Tickets
There are currently no showtimes for this film. Please check back soon.