The Unknown Country movie storyline. Tana is grieving her grandmother and missing what she never had, a sense of an extended community. She drives across the great plains of America, visiting her Oglala Lakota family, people she hasn’t seen in a long time, attending her cousin’s wedding, stopping off in motels, and meeting people along the way.
She’s alert to danger when necessary, and for Native women traveling alone, it’s always necessary. But Tana is also open to friendliness and kindness, as shown in a sequence in Texas when she meets a group of people at an outdoor bar and ends up hanging out with them all night, having carefree fun. It’s not an accident that “The Unknown Country” moves from the cold north to the warm south. It’s a process of healing and integration for Tana, who has felt disconnected from her family and, by extension, her entire community.
When Tana stops off to visit her cousin (Lainey Shangreaux), she is instantly welcomed by her estranged family. The Shangreauxs are still connected with reservation life (the “rez”), but Tana, from an urban environment, lacks that connection, maybe even shies from it. Tana attends Lainey and Devin’s wedding and plays with their child Jasmine (“Jazzy”), a lively girl who loves dancing and being silly. Lainey tells her story in voiceover, her teenage Romeo and Juliet romance with Devin, sneaking out of windows to see each other, getting pregnant so they had to be together. When Devin says his wedding vows, tears are on his face.
The Unknown Country is an American drama film directed by Morrisa Maltz and starring Lily Gladstone, Raymond Lee, Richard Ray Whitman, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Devin Shangreaux, Jasmine Shangreaux, Pam Richter, Scott Stampe, Florence R. Perrin and Teresa Boyd. The screenplay was written by Lily Gladstone and Morrisa Maltz.The film was released on July 28, 2023 in the United States by Music Box Films.
The Unknown Country (2023)
Directed by: Morrisa Maltz
Starring: Lily Gladstone, Raymond Lee, Richard Ray Whitman, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Devin Shangreaux, Jasmine Shangreaux, Pam Richter, Scott Stampe, Florence R. Perrin, Teresa Boyd
Screenplay by: Lily Gladstone, Morrisa Maltz
Cinematography by: Andrew Hajek
Film Editing by: Vanara Taing
Visual Effects by: Kimberly Estrada
Music by: Samuel Jones, Alexis Marsh
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Music Box Films
Release Date: July 28, 2023
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