utama (w&d alejandro loayza grisi)

Grisi’s film feels like a postcard from the front lines. The front lines of that other global conflict, the planet versus humanity. Set in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, the story is simple. An old couple are reluctant to leave the land they have lived on all their lives, even though it hasn’t rained for a year and the drought is causing their neighbours to leave. Their grandson comes to visit them from the town, trying to convince them to abandon their home and return with him to the city, but the veterano Viriginio is stubborn and suspicious and generational conflict ensues. The film is beautifully shot by Barbara Alvarez and the landscape becomes the fourth protagonist and primary antagonist. The simplicity of the story feels as though it coalesces with the ruggedly beautiful landscape and the urgency of the film’s thematic. There’s no space for embroidery when it comes to the seismic issue of climate change. Nevertheless, the intergenerational conflict delivers drops of humour which provide humanity to this stark tale. It’s also notable how effective Utama’s storytelling is in comparison to that of the director’s father’s feature, Averno. Where Averno was over-ambitious, Utama feels as though it has been, wisely, pared back to the bone.