THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY -- Oh The Places You'll Go (And the People You Meet Along the Way)

Review by Joseph Fayed

Richard Ray Whitman and Lily Gladstone in THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

Characters breaking free from the normalcy that plagues them serves as a basis for most indie road trip dramas that earn rave reviews at film festivals these days. Between the beautiful scenery lies an interesting character study. The Unknown Country draws you in through the former, but leaves you disappointed in how the latter was overlooked. 

The film follows Tana (Lily Gladstone) is invited to her cousin's wedding. After reconnecting with her family, Tana decides the best way to honor her late grandmother's legacy is to continue traveling and retrace her grandmother's steps. Along the way, she meets a variety of people from different walks of life who define her journey. 

A filmmaking technique that worked well in the films favor was the hybrid style narrative approach featuring non-professional actors in supporting roles. They are the backdrop of this film. Every time Tana departs somewhere, we learn their backstory. These moments serve their purpose in explaining their lives in the actual small towns parts of the film were shot in. The catalyst of this film is supposed to be Tana's grandmother's death, but her unorthodox journey takes its focus away from that. The shift in highlighting the people Tana meets along the way gives much more to anticipate than a single course of action like honoring her grandmother. 

Lily Gladstone in THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

Lily Gladstone is a bright light with her performance. Her desire to connect with others or reconnect with her family through times of isolation is what elevates her performance. While I appreciate this, there are definitely parts of the film that needed more of her character. The glimpses of humanity we see from this cast are just glimpses. The lack of dialogue Gladstone has in these scenes is upsetting because her on screen presence indicates she wants to engage more with who she encounters, but she instead becomes secondary to them, mainly listening to what they have to say, but rarely chiming in. Each supporting cast member is given their own monologue, so Tana's reduced dialogue seems counterproductive here. 

The Unknown Country is part of the new wave of minimalist cinema. These types of films often explore a region overlooked by mainstream media, unless a tragedy of some sort happens. Like every place in the world, there are moments that remind us that the core of humanity still exists. Tana's road trip may not be particularly exciting to watch, but there is interest that makes up for it in the stories the characters she meets have to tell. There's no Frances McDormand using a bucket as a toilet, like in Nomadland, but what those two films do have in common is showing you how to approach living in the moment when what tomorrow holds is uncertain.

The Unknown Country is now playing in theaters. 

Rating: 3/5