A still from Utama by Alejandro Loayza Grisi, an official selection of the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
There comes a point in Bolivian writer-director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s narrative feature debut when the elderly protagonist, Virginio (Jose Calcina), tells a story of the sacred condor. In his culture, the majestic bird is looked at as a protector of the mountains and is tied deeply to the beating heart of the land. When it comes to the end of its life cycle, the condor returns to its nest in the mountain to die by suicide and begin a new cycle. This story is being told by a man whose homeland is slowly turning to dust and is not-so-effectively concealing an illness betrayed by his persistent cough and heavy breathing. The stubborn man could abandon his homeland like so many others before him, but Virginio is as dedicated to this earth as the condor.
The visually sumptuous Utama provides a rare look at the Bolivian Altiplano as we come to know the film’s central couple, Virginio and his wife Sisa (Luisa Quispe), a pair of llama herders who have lived their entire lives on these arid plains. It would be easy to mistake this story for a period piece at first glance as these two live a labor-intensive existence to gain access to the barest necessities. It is not until their grandson, Clever (Santos Choque), visits with his headphones perpetually around his neck that you see the subtle creep of modernity. Virginio and Sisa have chosen to stay closer to their ancient traditions rather than migrating down the remote mountain to the city which promises adequate healthcare and the possibility of rest. Yet, much like the real-world family in Acasa, My Home, you have to weigh the impact such a dramatic change would have on the soul of these unbound people.
In that documentary, the outside world interrupted the primitive existence of the family with land development. In this narrative, the world at large is just as disruptive for our characters, but this time the cause is less tangible. It is said that this land, two miles above sea level, has not been receiving the rain that it should, and the ice-capped mountains are no longer the option they once were for water. Climate change is never specifically mentioned within the context of this story, but the implication is obvious. The immediate effects of this epidemic are causing the couple to travel farther and farther to secure water. All of the wells are bone dry as they struggle to provide water for themselves, let alone their herd of animals. The effects of climate change are often presented as abstract in studies and news reports, but this environment is providing a glimpse of what is in store.
The feature itself leans closer to slow cinema, but at a very forgiving 87 minute runtime that should not scare off more impatient audience members. You are immersed into this world and all of the difficulties that accompany it quite profoundly before the arrival of Clever and all of the emotional baggage that comes with him. Virginio is the most forthright in his opposition to moving away from their home, but Sisa is not exactly putting up a fight to abandon what she knows. For Clever, it is a simple matter of survival. For this couple, there is something greater than themselves that keeps them planted. They already struggle to communicate with Clever, still speaking a version of the ancient Incan Quechua language instead of the adopted Spanish. If they flee like everyone else, who will be around to continue the culture?
While issues of fading environment and culture are front and center to this story, the core love story between Virginio and Sisa cannot be short changed. One of the most important decisions Grisi made was convincing this real-life couple to star in his movie. The sparse amount of dialogue keeps things from being too challenging, but even still you would never guess that these two were not professionals with the emotion they bring to their characters in the quiet moments. The couple have disagreements, but the undercurrent of love never falters. The decades of intimacy they share between them allows certain dramatic moments to resonate more than they otherwise would.
As much as the narrative works on a core level, it is the visual eye Grisi brings to the film which elevates it to something truly special. The director’s work as a still photographer has trained him to view every shot as its own work of art where every element should add meaning. Together with cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman), the two impeccably craft shots that capture these unbelievable shooting locations. Whether it is a vast environmental expanse or a keenly lit portrait of a character’s face during a quiet moment of reflection, you will not walk away from this one without at least a handful of images seared into your mind.
Utama is an emotionally involved tale that weaves in issues of climate change, cultural conservation, and mortality into a tender love story. The film is visually dazzling, but the narrative is almost too slight at points in a way that has you reassessing your expectations throughout upon your first viewing. Thankfully, the runtime does not extend the story beyond its natural limitations, keeping the experience very rewarding when all is said and done.
Utama had its World Premiere in the World Dramatic Competition section of Sundance Film Festival 2022.
Director: Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Writer: Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Rated: NR
Runtime: 87m
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
