New US Trailer for Acclaimed Bolivian Film ‘Utama’ from Sundance

New US Trailer for Acclaimed Bolivian Film ‘Utama’ from Sundance

by Alex Billington
September 16, 2022
Source: YouTube

“If we leave, our land will be left alone in silence.” Kino Lorber has revealed the official US trailer for a Bolivian drama titled Utama, which originally premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It earned some rave reviews from critics and went on to play at the Göteborg, Seattle, Sydney, Taipei, and Transilvania Film Festivals. In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily life for years. During an uncommonly long drought, Virginio and his wife (Sisa) face a dilemma: resist or be defeated by the environment & time itself. This visually jaw-dropping debut by photographer Alejandro Loayza Grisi is lensed by award-winning cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (also of Lucretia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and won the Grand Jury Prize (in World Cinema Dramatic) at Sundance. Featuring local actors in all the roles. Utama is a bit of a slow burn thriller, very dry – both figuratively and literally considering it’s about a drought – but rewarding in its complexity and compassion. Worth a watch.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama, direct from KL’s YouTube:

In the arid Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living a tranquil life 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, Virginio and Sisa must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move in with family members in the city. 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. Utama is written and directed by Bolivian filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi, a cinematographer making his feature directorial debut with this film. It initially premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Kino Lorber will debut Utama in select US theaters starting November 4th, 2022 this fall. For more info, visit their official site.

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