Also playing Oct 22
*Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance and Bolivia’s Official Submission to the 2023 Academy Awards*
Home is where the water is. In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple (played by actual couple José Calcina and Luisa Quispe–authentic, nonprofessional actors whom Loayza Grisi had to convince to participate), has been living the same daily life for years. During an uncommonly long drought, Virginio and his wife Sisa face a dilemma: resist, or be defeated by the environment and time itself. Utama means “our home” in the Quechua dialect, and these two intend to die there, despite the polite appeals of their grandson Clever (Santos Choque), who visits them with the mission of convincing them to move to the city. A typical millennial, he’s always on his phone, oblivious to the beauty all around him. But we the audience have the privilege of taking it in thanks to the sublime cinematography. The breathtaking opening shot — of Virginio walking alone across a dark, dry plain, toward the blazing sunrise beyond the mountains–is worth anyone’s time. And if that’s not enough, the bright pink tassels pinned to the ears of the herd of llamas are a striking dose of color against the desiccated vistas. ~OY