Lily Gladstone is poised to be the talk of this year’s awards season thanks to her performance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” But the “Certain Women” breakout actor also stars in the lonely American road movie “The Unknown Country,” written and directed by Morrisa Maltz with a story credit for Gladstone. Music Box Films releases the acclaimed feature on July 28 in New York City at the Quad Cinema and at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. Watch the trailer below.
Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her cousin’s wedding. She packs up her late grandmother’s Cadillac and hits the open road, driving from her home in Minnesota to South Dakota. After reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana sets off to retrace a surreal journey that her grandmother took decades ago, searching for the spot captured in an old family photograph. As she travels, Tana finds connection in the stories of everyday people who’ve settled down far off the main roads including Isaac (Raymond Lee), who provides a pivotal clue to understanding the lost location that could cultivate closure.
From IndieWire’s review of the film: “With a face that beams a comforting inner light, Gladstone is a treasure. She exudes the kind of compassionate curiosity for others reserved for those who always listen attentively and empathize with your pain even if she can’t offer any advice. Not surprisingly, director Kelly Reichardt has collaborated with her in stories that revisit the Western mythos with a unique gentleness. In ‘The Unknown Country,’ Gladstone takes on a lead role with equal measures of vulnerability and playfulness, adding up to an endlessly captivating and tenderly potent performance.”
Gladstone is already generating awards buzz for her performance in Scorsese’s “Killers” as Osage woman Mollie Burkhart, who is married to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character and suffers greatly while trying to stand on her tribal ground. She was last in the awards conversation for Reichardt’s “Certain Women,” which earned her a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination in 2017 for Best Supporting Female.
Here’s the trailer for “The Unknown Country.”
