Lily Gladstone on a Lonely Road Trip in ‘The Unknown Country’ Trailer
by Alex Billington
June 15, 2023
Source: YouTube
“So how long have you been driving?” “All my life…” Music Box Films has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed indie drama titled The Unknown Country, made by a filmmaker named Morrisa Maltz. This premiered at last year’s SXSW Film Festival, and also played at BAMcinemaFest + the Denver, Montclair, Santa Fe, and Calgary Film Fests. An unexpected invitation sends a grieving woman on a lonely road trip through the American Midwest towards the border between Texas & Mexico. A personal reverie summoned from a beguiling mix of fact & fiction, The Unknown Country is an “arresting” debut from Morrisa Maltz. Described as “a stunning spiritual companion to Terrence Malick and Nomadland.” The indie film stars Lily Gladstone as Tana (who also stars in Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon this year), with Raymond Lee and Richard Ray Whitman. Well this looks wonderful. Not only stunning cinematography, following her through America’s landscapes, but also an uplifting story about the winding roads of life, and about family.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Morrisa Maltz’s The Unknown Country, direct from YouTube:
Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her cousin’s wedding. She packs up her late grandmother’s Cadillac and hits the open road, driving from her home in Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana sets off to retrace a surreal journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for the spot captured in an old family photograph. As she travels, Tana finds connection in the stories of everyday people who’ve settled down far off the main roads including Isaac (Raymond Lee), who provides a pivotal clue to understanding the lost location that could cultivate closure. The Unknown Country is written and directed by American filmmaker Morrisa Maltz, her second film after directing Ingrid previously, as well as a few other short films. From a story by Morrisa Maltz, Lily Gladstone, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, and Vanara Taing. This initially premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival last year. Music Box Films will debut Maltz’s The Unknown Country in select US theaters (NY & LA) starting on July 28th, 2023 this summer.
