The Unknown Country

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1:56

The Unknown Country

2023

1h 25m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

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. A personal reverie summoned from a beguiling mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is an arresting debut feature from Morrisa Maltz.

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Critics Consensus

Lily Gladstone's outstanding performances powers The Unknown Country through some narrative drift to its ultimately profound destination.

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Jenny Nulf

Austin Chronicle

Nov 17, 2023

3.5/5

The Unknown Country is a naturalistic exploration of America that’s hopeful of human connection in the midst of a country that sometimes feels hostile.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Aug 24, 2023

3.5/4

Inside [Tana]'s making a parallel set of discoveries, as does the cinematic reverie we’re watching.

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Dmitry Samarov

Chicago Reader

Aug 11, 2023

Morrisa Maltz’s debut narrative feature deftly mixes in documentary-style sketches...

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Christie Cronan

Common Sense Media

Mar 10, 2026

3/5

A healing road trip with a few bumpy detours, The Unknown Country is an artful expression of navigating grief and humanity with a quiet strength and relatable connection.

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Emma Vine

Loud and Clear Reviews

Mar 2, 2026

3.5/5

It feels like a hearty home-cooked meal prepared by Grandma. It’s comforting to watch, nostalgic, and worth the time investment.

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Codie Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 25, 2025

9/10

The Unknown Country gracefully unfolds as a remarkably simple yet highly effective story. With masterful finesse.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 3, 2026

The Unknown Country is a *3.5* star Movie!

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Susan R.

@Reitsma Mar 6, 2026

Tooooo slow....almost put me to sleep.

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Sal D

@JustTheLaw Jan 13, 2026

High hopes dashed mid-way through the film. I guess as hard as I tried to connect with Lily Gladstone's character, I just could not so the vignettes patched together just did not work for me. Disappointed but maybe the movie is just not for me.

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Wayne M

@Wayne93 Apr 27, 2025

The Unknown Country is a meditative film, a beautiful exploration of the human condition. It's dreamy and contemplative at times, but manages to always remain interesting. Director Morissa Maltz has made a film that feels somewhat documentary like. It follows the central character in Tana, a Native American woman from Minnesota, who recently lost her grandmother. She decides to follow her trip she did many years ago to Texas. Along the way she reconnects with family in South Dakota, where she attends a wedding. Also on the journey she meets real life people who give her their story. These are really beautiful moments as we hear their interesting stories. This film lacks a real narrative structure, but it's really about memories and connections. Lily Gladstone is superb as Tana. And the mostly unknown cast shine as well in this wonderful little film.

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Leprechaun K

@LeprechaunKing Apr 21, 2025

The film is half documentary like, with real life stories at each pit stop along a road trip. Some stories are not interesting than others, but movie as a whole seems flat. Good ending though.

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Judith K

@ziqiongmom Mar 7, 2025

This movie was boring. At best, it should have been a 30 minute short movie, rather than an hour and a half feature film. But there wasn't much to it. It felt like a documentary of a very slow moving road trip, which was meaningful for the lead character, but not for me.

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Morrisa Maltz

Director

Lily Gladstone

Tana

Raymond Lee

Isaac

Ali Lopez-Sohaili

Tommy

Richard Ray Whitman

Grandpa August

Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux

Self

Answers to Nothing

9%

35%

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Time Out of Mind

80%

42%

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Unconformity

100%

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50%

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Synopsis

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. A personal reverie summoned from a beguiling mix of fact and fiction, The Unknown Country is an arresting debut feature from Morrisa Maltz.

Director: Morrisa Maltz
Producer: Katherine Harper, Laura Heberton, Thomas Heitkamp, Morrisa Maltz, Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux, Vanara Taing
Screenwriter: Morrisa Maltz
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Cold Iron Pictures, Unpaved Rodes, Wooden Finger Studios
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.9K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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