Utama (2022)
88%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Utama is a film that captures the essence of the Bolivian llama farmers’ way of life with stunning visual power and genuine poignancy. Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s direction is a bold artistic statement that immerses the audience in a world that is both inaccessible to westerners and endangered. The fusion of beautifully orchestrated images and warm, convincing performances invites the viewer to let go and experience the underlying truth of these experiences. While some may find the film to be a tedious harangue, it is an elegiac, minimalist fable that touches on global warming, survival, our connections to each other, and our priorities. Utama is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the enormity of seemingly small lives and the beauty that can be found in the most unexpected places.
If you’re looking for a movie that will transport you to a world you’ve never seen before, Utama is the llama farmer flick for you. Critics are raving about the stunning visuals and heartwarming performances that make this movie a must-see. But don’t worry, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows – there’s plenty of beauty and dread to keep you on the edge of your seat. So grab some popcorn and get ready to immerse yourself in a way of life that’s both inaccessible and endangered. You won’t regret it!
Production Company(ies)
Foreign Language
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Bolivia
MPAA / Certificate
NR
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 27m
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Language(s):Quechua, Spanish
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Country of origin:Bolivia, France, Uruguay
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 4, 2022 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2023
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,589
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $4,589
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,790
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Luisa Quispe – Sisa
Candelaria Quispe – Elena
Santos Choque – Clever
Alejandro Loayza Grisi – Director, Screenwriter
Director(s)
Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Writer(s)
Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Producer(s)
Santiago Loayza Grisi, Federico Moreira
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (2)
Alejandro Loayza Grisi isn’t interested in story or action here, he’s interested in the enormity of seemingly small lives.
December 2, 2022 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
If you only see one film about Bolivian llama farmers this year, make it Utama.
November 22, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
David Hughes
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A gentle and superbly shot film.
November 21, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Cath Clarke
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
A film of dazzling visual power and genuine poignancy.
November 4, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Glenn Kenny
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
It is a spare and yet unsparing film, and a bold artistic statement from an emerging filmmaker.
November 3, 2022
Katie Walsh
TheWrap
TOP CRITIC
“Utama” pulls you in with an uneasy mix of beauty and dread.
November 3, 2022
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Grisi has an incredible eye – the way he captures the barren landscapes almost recalls Carlos Reygadas (or to reach back further – John Ford), but it also leaves us wondering what a filmmaker like Reygadas could have done with this material.
December 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
The fusion in Utama of beautifully orchestrated images and warm, convincing performances invites its audience to immerse itself for 90 minutes in a way of life that is not only inaccessible to westerners but endangered. It’s well worth it.
November 29, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Saskia Baron
The Arts Desk
Letting go can often be the hardest thing to do and although Utama allows itself the odd flourish of magical realism, it is in the underlying truth of these experiences that the film hits home the hardest.
November 29, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Nicholson
CineVue
An elegiac, minimalist fable, Utama is about many things: global warming, survival, our connections to each other, our priorities.
November 22, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Alex Saveliev
Film Threat
Operating under the principle that an ominous cough heard in the first act must go off in the last, Utama turns out to be a fairly tedious harangue…
November 21, 2022
Vadim Rizov
Filmmaker Magazine
‘Utama’ is not exactly what one would call a subtle or particularly complex piece of storytelling. Nor does it need to be.
November 21, 2022
Sean Burns
WBUR’s Arts & Culture…
Plot
Time seems to move slowly on the land of the Bolivian Altiplano, where an elderly Quechua couple, Virginio and Sisa, carry on a humble routine. When their grandson Clever shows up, Virginio sniffs out that he is there just to convince them to move to the city. The fact that the drought has left them without water doesn’t help their case for staying. All the while, Virginio’s breathing betrays his ability to hide what’s ailing him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Excluding Santos Choque (Clever), every cast member is a non-professional actor.
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