The Unknown Country

The Unknown Country
Official release poster
Directed by	Morrisa Maltz
Screenplay by	Morrisa Maltz
Story by	Lily Gladstone Morrisa Maltz Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux Vanara Taing
Produced by	Katherine Harper Laura Heberton
Starring	Lily Gladstone Raymond Lee
Cinematography	Andrew Hajek
Edited by	Vanara Taing
Music by	Samuel Jones Alexis Marsh Neil Halstead
Production companies	Cold Iron Pictures Wooden Fingers Studios
Distributed by	Music Box Films
Release dates	March 13, 2022 (2022-03-13) (SXSW) July 28, 2023 (2023-07-28) (United States)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$68,890[1][2]

The Unknown Country is a 2022 American drama film directed by Morrisa Maltz, from a screenplay by Maltz and a story by Maltz, Lily Gladstone, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, and Vanara Taing. It stars Gladstone and Raymond Lee.

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2022.[3] It was released by Music Box Films in the United States on July 28, 2023.[4][5] For her work, Gladstone won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.[6]

Plot

A grieving woman embarks on a road trip through the American Midwest after receiving an unexpected invitation to reunite with her estranged Oglala Lakota family.

Cast

• Lily Gladstone as Tana
• Raymond Lee as Isaac
• Richard Ray Whitman as Grandpa August
• Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux as Lainey
• Devin Shangreaux as Devin
• Jasmine Shangreaux as Jasmine

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Lily Gladstone's outstanding performances powers The Unknown Country through some narrative drift to its ultimately profound destination."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Gotham Independent Film Awards	November 27, 2023	Outstanding Lead Performance	Lily Gladstone	Won	[9]
Denver International Film Festival	November 12, 2022	American Independent Award – Best Feature Film	The Unknown Country	Nominated	[10]
		Honorable Mention		Won
South by Southwest	March 20, 2022	SXSW Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award		Nominated	[11]
Cinema Eye Honors	January 12, 2024	Heterodox Award		Nominated	[12]
Americana Film Fest	March 15, 2023	Audience Award – Next		Nominated	[13]
Montclair Film Festival	October 30, 2022	Future/Now		Nominated	[14]
Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival	September 25, 2022	Jury Award – Best Feature		Won	[15]
		Outstanding Achievement in Editing	Vanara Taing	Won
Champs-Élysées Film Festival	June 28, 2022	Longs métrages américains	The Unknown Country	Nominated	[16]
Calgary International Film Festival	October 2, 2022	International Narrative Competition		Nominated	[17]

References

1. "The Unknown Country (2023)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
2. "The Unknown Country (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
3. "The Unknown Country". SXSW 2023 Schedule. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
4. Wiseman, Andreas (October 5, 2022). "Music Box Boards SXSW Road Trip Drama 'The Unknown Country' Starring 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' Actress Lily Gladstone". Deadline. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
5. Raup, Jordan (June 16, 2023). "Lily Gladstone Takes a Journey Through The Unknown Country in First Trailer for SXSW Hit". Retrieved October 16, 2023.
6. Pedersen, Erik; Goldsmith, Jill (November 28, 2023). "Gotham Awards: Lily Gladstone Wins Lead Performance Prize For 'The Unknown Country' – Updating Live". Deadline. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
7. "The Unknown Country". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
8. "The Unknown Country". Metacritic. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
9. Brew, Caroline (November 28, 2023). "'Past Lives' Takes Best Feature at Gotham Awards: Full Winners List". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
10. "46th Denver Film Festival". denverfilmfestival.eventive.org. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
11. "The Unknown Country". SXSW 2024 Schedule. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
12. Saperstein, Pat (November 16, 2023). "'Kokomo City' Leads Nominations for Cinema Eye Documentary Honors". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
13. "The Unknown Country". Americana Film Fest (in Catalan). Retrieved November 28, 2023.
14. "2022 Montclair Film Festival Award Winners Announced!". montclairfilm.org. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
15. 2022 Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival: The Unknown Country, retrieved November 28, 2023
16. "Champs-Élysées Film Festival - 21 au 28 juin 2022". www.champselyseesfilmfestival.com (in French). Retrieved November 28, 2023.
17. "THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY » CIFF". www.ciffcalgary.ca. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

External links

• The Unknown Country at IMDb