The Unknown Country

“(Available to rent and also streaming on Mubi.)”

Brett says: “Immediately as the end credits roll, I find myself falling all over myself to track down a re-read of William Wordsworth’s ‘Tintern Abbey,’ the mesmeric opening lines already prancing their lyrical prance in my head before I can find my copy of Lyrical Ballads and indulge. Not that the film THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY is a copy of the Romantic landmark poetic work, but there are themes and a tone of elevated simplicity that can be linked, especially in the film’s first 45-50 minutes and final sequence. (Although, the Cupid Shuffle still has nothing on English blank verse in my view.)”It’s not easy to say something about the film THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY that would not have already been said , considering its unique format that genre-bends documentary with drama. And then, there is the often used ‘understated’ descriptor to try to somehow pinpoint the wonder that is Lily Gladstone in this picture. Bringing these points up is not something that makes them any less true, however.

“Some films can be described as must-sees on the big screen. Some fit perfectly in the stream-from-home vibe. First-feature director Morrisa Maltz seems to have a compiled a work that might be one of the few “must be seen in a library” works (not counting Jim Jarmusch’s PATERSON). It’s humanism with a delicate touch. It could even be described as a docu-dream at times. Whatever one chooses to say about it or how ever one tries to define it, it’s most definitely a unique approach to storytelling. Pushing the film medium forward seems more and more daunting when there are so many narratives and narrative forms that already exist, but it seems as if Maltz’s eye and voice is ready to offer something not regularly seen in the motion picture format.

“4 cats out of 5, with my apologies to Pam at the diner for not including more”