Utama

Last updated
Utama
Utama poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Written byAlejandro Loayza Grisi
Produced bySantiago Loayza Grisi
Marcos Loayza
Federico Moreira
StarringLuisa Quispe
José Calcina
Santos Choque
CinematographyBarbara Alvarez
Edited byFernando Epstein
Music byCergio Prudencio
Production
company
Alma Films
Release dates
  • January 22, 2022 (2022-01-22)(Sundance)
  • May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)(France)
Running time
87 minutes
CountriesBolivia
Uruguay
France
Languages Quechua
Spanish
Box office$226,854 [1] [2]

Utama is a 2022 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi in his directorial debut film. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022 and was released in French theaters on May 11, 2022. It was selected as the Bolivian entry for the 95th Academy Awards at the Best International Feature Film. [3]

Contents

Plot

An elderly Quechua-speaking couple lives in the Altiplano, the arid high plateau of the Andes, and the sick Virginio, knowing that he is about to die, spends his last days hiding this condition from his wife Sisa. A long life together hides behind the Quechua couple.

Together they are busy with tasks like grazing their llamas. His house is surrounded by high mountains. Virginio often looks at the sky and hopes that it will rain. Since it doesn't rain and the village well is empty, Sisa has to walk to the river every day. Women from surrounding villages also flock to the last remaining spring.

One day they receive a visit from their grandson Clever, who brings news from the city. His grandparents conspicuously argue in Quechua over Clever's motives for visiting, he speaks to them in Spanish. Clever wants his grandparents to pack up and move with the family to the city, where the sick Virginio can be examined and treated. [4]

Clever and Virginio go to the mountains with nearby villagers and they perform a ritual to bring rain back to the land. Afterwards the frustrated villagers debate the solutions to their drought, many opting to leave to the city.

During his shepherding Virginio falls unconscious. Clever finds him and brings him back to a worried Sisa, who asks him to disclose his mysterious cough. Virginio worries that Sisa will be alone, once he passes and he would rather have her come with him to the afterlife than to move to the city. Clever confronts him about his selfishness, they argue and Clever leaves the village. He returns not much later with a doctor, who tries to convince Virginio to come to the city to get treated. A defeated Virginio refuses. He remains silent about dying but encounters many motifs around death including a dehydrated llama, a condor, and the news of Clever becoming a father, which he overhears. Virginio discretely makes plans to give Clever a tin box filled with photos and bits of gold. He gives Clever the box as well as his hat the day before he peacefully dies in his sleep.

The neighboring villagers attend his funeral. Clever gets ready to leave back to the city, he says goodbye to Sisa and she asks him to visit her often. Under the thundering sky the widowed Sisa shepherds the llamas.

Release

The first screenings of the film took place on January 22, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival. [5] It was released in French cinemas on May 11, 2022. At the end of June 2022 it was shown at the Munich Film Festival. [6] The film was released in Swiss cinemas on June 23, 2022. [4] In early July 2022, the film was shown at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Horizons section and in late July 2022 at the New Horizons International Film Festival. [7] Performances at the Leipzig Film Art Fair are scheduled for September 2022. [8] In October 2022 it will be presented at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. [9] [10] The film was scheduled for German cinemas in January 2023. [11]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 96% of 46 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.The website's consensus reads: "With breathtaking cinematography and naturalistic performances, Utama touchingly captures love and tradition in times of climate change." [12] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [13]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Sundance Film Festival January 30, 2022 World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: DramaticAlejandro Loayza GrisiWon [14]
Málaga Film Festival March 27, 2022Golden Biznaga for Best Iberoamerican FilmUtamaWon [15]
Best DirectorAlejandro Loayza GrisiWon
Special Critics AwardWon
Best MusicCergio PrudencioWon
Sydney Film Festival June 19, 2022 Sydney Film PrizeUtamaNominated [16] [17]
Sustainable Future AwardAlejandro Loayza Grisi, Santiago Loayza Grisi, Federico Moreira, Alpha VioletNominated
Guadalajara International Film Festival June 20, 2022Best Iberoamerican FilmAlejandro Loayza GrisiNominated [18]
Best ScreenplayWon [19]
Best First FeatureWon
Jorge Cámara AwardWon
Beijing International Film Festival August 20, 2022Tiantian AwardAlejandro Loayza GrisiNominated [20]
Best Supporting ActorSantos ChoqueWon
Hong Kong International Film Festival August 31, 2022Golden Firebird Award - Young CinemaUtamaNominated [21]
Film Fest Ghent October 20, 2022North Sea Port Audience AwardNominated [22]
Forqué Awards December 17, 2022 Best Latin-American FilmNominated [23] [24]
International Film Festival of Kerala December 16, 2022Best Film AwardWon [25]
Goya Awards February 11, 2023 Best Ibero-American Film Nominated [26]
Platino Awards April 22, 2023 Best First Feature Film Nominated [27]
Best Original Score Cergio PrudencioWon
Best Cinematography Barbara ÁlvarezWon
Best Sound Federico MoreiraNominated
Film and Education Values UtamaNominated
Rolling Stone en Español Awards October 26, 2023 Fiction Feature Film of the YearNominated [28]
Direction of the YearAlejandro Loaysa GrisiNominated

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Tosar</span> Spanish actor and musician (born 1971)

Luis López Tosar is a Spanish actor and musician from Galicia. He is one of the most recognizable and versatile actors in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Ménochet</span> French actor

Denis Ménochet is a French actor. Ménochet is known to international audiences for his role as Perrier LaPadite, a French dairy farmer interrogated by the Nazis for harboring Jews in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds. In 2023, he won the Goya Award for Best Actor for The Beasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laia Costa</span> Spanish actress (born 1985)

Laia Costa Bertrán is a Spanish actress who has worked in Spain, Russia, Germany, Argentina, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Costa has won several accolades, including a Goya Award, two Platino Awards and a German Film Award, in addition to nominations for a British Academy Film Award and a European Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susi Sánchez</span> Spanish actress

Asunción Sánchez Abellán, known as Susi Sánchez, is a Spanish theater, film, and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Herrán</span> Spanish actor

Miguel Ángel García de la Herrán, best known as Miguel Herrán, is a Spanish actor. In 2016, he won the Goya Award for Best New Actor for his feature film debut in Nothing in Return. He gained notoriety for his performances in television series Élite and Money Heist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodrigo Sorogoyen</span> Spanish film director and screenwriter (born 1981)

Rodrigo Sorogoyen del Amo is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. His solo directorial debut Stockholm earned him a nomination for the Goya Award for Best New Director in 2014. For his short film Mother, Sorogoyen won the Goya Award for Best Fictional Short Film in 2018 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards. In 2019, Sorogoyen won the Goya Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for The Realm, a feat he repeated in 2023 with The Beasts, which won a total of 9 awards at the 37th Goya Awards, including Best Film. The Beasts also won him the César Award for Best Foreign Film. He often works in tandem with Isabel Peña.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilar Palomero</span> Spanish film director

Pilar Palomero is a Spanish film director and screenwriter.

<i>The Beasts</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

The Beasts is a 2022 thriller film directed and produced by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who wrote the screenplay with Isabel Peña. A co-production between Spain and France, it features Spanish, French, and Galician dialogue. It stars Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera, Diego Anido and Marie Colomb.

<i>Stories to Stay Awake</i> (2021 TV series) Spanish television series

Stories to Stay Awake is a Spanish horror anthology television series consisting of a reboot of the series of the same name created by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador and broadcast on TVE from 1966 to 1982. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on 5 November 2021 and it is slated to air on RTVE in the future. The four parts are directed by Rodrigo Cortés, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Paco Plaza and Paula Ortiz.

<i>Prison 77</i> 2022 Spanish film

Prison 77 is a 2022 Spanish historical thriller drama film directed by Alberto Rodríguez from a screenplay co-written with Rafael Cobos which stars Miguel Herrán and Javier Gutiérrez.

<i>Piggy</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Carlota Pereda

Piggy is a 2022 horror thriller film written and directed by Carlota Pereda, based on her 2019 short film of the same name. The cast, led by Laura Galán, also features Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Claudia Salas, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar and Pilar Castro.

<i>On the Fringe</i> (film) 2022 film

On the Fringe is a 2022 Spanish-Belgian thriller and social drama film directed by Juan Diego Botto from a screenplay by Botto and Olga Rodríguez. It stars Penélope Cruz, Luis Tosar, Adelfa Calvo, and Christian Checa.

<i>Manticore</i> (2022 film) 2022 film

Manticore is 2022 psychological drama thriller film written and directed by Carlos Vermut, and starring Nacho Sánchez and Zoe Stein. An international co-production between Spain and Estonia that blends elements of mumblecore with tragedy and deals with its protagonist's hamartia, the film's storyline follows the romantic relationship between a video game designer (Sánchez) and an art history student (Stein), with the former hoping to find happiness with the latter and thus to subdue his recently awakened pedophilic impulses.

<i>Alcarràs</i> (film) 2022 film

Alcarràs is a 2022 Spanish-Italian drama film directed by Carla Simón. It is set and shot in Alcarràs, Catalonia, featuring a non-professional cast of Catalan-speaking actors. The plot is a family drama about the disappearance of traditional peach-harvesting activities. It won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlinale, becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist.

<i>Lullaby</i> (2022 film) Film by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa

Lullaby is a 2022 Spanish drama film written and directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. It stars Laia Costa and Susi Sánchez alongside Ramón Barea and Mikel Bustamante.

Rapa is a Spanish crime thriller television series created by Pepe Coira and Fran Araújo and produced by Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Portocabo. It stars Javier Cámara and Mónica López. It premiered on 19 May 2022. A second season premiered on 15 June 2023. The series was renewed for a third and final season.

<i>The Rite of Spring</i> (film) 2022 Spanish film

The Rite of Spring is a 2022 Spanish drama film with comedy elements directed by Fernando Franco which stars Valèria Sorolla, Telmo Irureta, and Emma Suárez.

<i>Wild Flowers</i> (2022 film) 2022 film

Wild Flowers is a 2022 Spanish-French film directed by Jaime Rosales which stars Anna Castillo alongside Oriol Pla, Quim Àvila, and Lluís Marquès.

Offworld is a Spanish television series based on the apocalyptic podcast El gran apagón. The 5-part series tracks 5 independent stories of people dealing with an apocalyptic situation in the wake of a solar storm. A Movistar Plus+ original, it is directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Raúl Arévalo, Isa Campo, Alberto Rodríguez and Isaki Lacuesta.

<i>Simple</i> (TV series) Spanish TV series or program

Simple is a 2022 Spanish comedy television series created by Anna R. Costa for Movistar Plus+ based on the book Easy Reading by Cristina Morales. It stars Natalia de Molina, Anna Castillo, Anna Marchessi, and Coria Castillo as four women with functional diversity trying to live in an apartment in La Barceloneta.

References

  1. "Utama (2022)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. "Utama (2022)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. Kay2022-09-15T19:52:00+01:00, Jeremy. "Bolivia selects Sundance winner 'Utama' as Oscar submission (exclusive)". Screendaily.com . Retrieved 2022-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 "Utama — der-andere-film.ch". der-andere-film.ch. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  5. D'Alessandro, Dominic Patten,Anthony; Patten, Dominic; D'Alessandro, Anthony (2021-12-09). "Sundance 2022: Hybrid Festival Sees Princess Diana, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dakota Johnson, Bill Cosby, NYC Rock'n'Roll & Regina Hall Fill Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "UTAMA". www.filmfest-muenchen.de. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  7. "Znamy program 22. Nowych Horyzontów - Aktualności | Nowe Horyzonty". www.nowehoryzonty.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  8. "22. Filmkunstmesse Leipzig 2022 – So viel Kino war noch nie! — Filmkunstmesse Leipzig". filmkunstmesse.de. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  9. Nikkhah Azad, Navid (2022-09-14). "VIFF announces 2022 films for Panorama, Northern Lights, and Short Forum". www.deed.news. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  10. "Busan International Film Festival". Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  11. "Filmdetails — Filmkunstmesse Leipzig". filmkunstmesse.de. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  12. "Utama". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 22 February 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  13. "Utama". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  14. "2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED – sundance.org" . Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  15. "'Cinco lobitos' y sus actrices triunfan en el Festival de Málaga 2022". Cinemanía . 26 March 2022 via 20minutos.es.
  16. "Utama". Sydney Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  17. "SFF RETURNS IN YOUR AREA WITH SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AWARD : EcoVoice – Environment News Australia". www.ecovoice.com.au. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  18. "FICG37 ANUNCIA PELÍCULAS SELECCIONADAS PARA SU COMPETENCIA OFICIAL". FICG 35 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  19. "Ganadores FICG37". Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  20. "Beijing film festival receives 1,450 award entries_china.org.cn". m.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  21. Festival, Asian Film (2022-08-01). "46th Hong Kong International Film Festival – Programme 2022". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  22. "Film Fest Gent 2022: Toveren met licht en veerkracht". de wereld morgen (in Dutch). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  23. "Alcarràs', 'Cinco lobitos', 'As bestas' y 'Modelo 77', finalistas en los Premios Forqué". rtve.es . 7 November 2022.
  24. "'As bestas' triunfa en los Forqué y pone al rojo vivo la lucha por los Goya". rtve.es . 17 December 2022.
  25. "International Film Festival of Kerala 2022/" . Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  26. "'As bestas' es la favorita de los Premios Goya del relevo generacional: listado de nominaciones". Cinemanía . 1 December 2022 via 20minutos.es.
  27. Rosado, Ricardo (9 March 2023). "PREMIOS PLATINO 2023: 'ARGENTINA, 1985' ENCABEZA LAS NOMINACIONES DE LA X EDICIÓN". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  28. Raygoza, Isabella (August 11, 2023). "Bad Bunny & Rosalía Lead Rolling Stone En Español Award Nominations: Complete List". Billboard . Retrieved September 6, 2023.