London Film Festival 2022: UTAMA

One of the many great injustices of the climate crisis is the disproportionate effects that will be inflicted on the people that contributed least to it. Unlike populations in the most aggressively polluting nations, the effect of warming on already dry climates is not a distant eventuality but a current, pressing issue. The resultant conversations forced on communities across the global south – of whether to stay and struggle or leave your land behind – are central to Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s debut feature, Utama.

“The Rain is Coming”

Grisi’s film follows the lives of Virginio and Sisa, an elderly Quechua couple, as their lives are upended by an unusually long drought and a grandson who insists they should leave the progressively arid altiplano for a less precarious city life. Despite the horrifying and global context that looms over it, Utama is a small-scale story. Grisi is aware that focusing on the inner lives of ordinary people can be much more effective than any sweeping approach to the subject. Thus, aided by some phenomenal performances, Grisi keeps the screenplay tight but affecting, the cinematography composed, and the score sparse. It’s a testament to the potential of stripped-back filmmaking.  

Given this style, much of the film’s power hinges on the actors. The performances from José Calcina and Santos Choque are detailed and effective but special mention should go to Louisa Quispe. Where Calcina’s character has grown cold and embittered through hardship and illness, Quispe’s performance is stoic but warm, her compassion and caring spirit undiminished by the circumstances. It’s through her eyes that we witness the twin crises of health and the environment. It’s a performance of few words and many subtle gestures. 

Capturing the Altiplano

Barbara Alvarez provides the film with some beautiful visuals. The vastness of the altiplano is fully utilized, the vistas only occasionally interrupted by herds of Virginio’s tasseled llamas. Elsewhere, the slightly discordant, woodwind score from Cergio Prudencio cleverly accentuates the bone-dry atmosphere of the film. Similar to the near-constant wheeze of Virginio’s breathing, the score sounds thin and coarse, like wind across a barren, dusty landscape. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, Grisi has achieved a rare balancing act. He has made a film that is rooted in the current environmental crisis whilst also doubling as a powerful exploration of the idea of home; of generational division; of cultural resistance or self-preservation; and of living in the face of both ecological and personal illness. It’s a powerful, intimate work.

Utama is Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s debut feature film. What are some of your favourite debut features?

Utama had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on the 8th of October.

Watch Utama