Director Morrisa Maltz and cinematographer Andrew Hajek share not only a collaborative bond but also career milestones–initially with the 2018 release of Ingrid, marking the first documentary feature for each. Their positive experience working together on that film then ultimately led Maltz and Hajek to reunite for what would become their first narrative feature, The Unknown Country, which was recently released theatrically in the U.S. via Music Box Films after an auspicious world premiere at the 2022 SXSW Festival.
Maltz directed and co-wrote (with lead actress Lily Gladstone, cast member Lainey Bearkiller Shangreaux and editor Vanara Taing) The Unknown Country, screened as part of the SXSW Fest’s Visions program, earning a nomination for the Adam Yauch Hornblower Award in honor of a filmmaker whose work strives to be wholly its own, without regard for norms or desire to conform.
The Unknown Country introduces us to Tana, portrayed by Gladstone, who’s grieving over the passing of her grandmother. Tana is thrown a lifesaver of sorts in the form of an unexpected invitation to the wedding of her cousin, Lainey (portrayed by Shangreaux). Lainey is marrying Devin (played by Devin Shangreaux). The couple have a child, Jasmine, aka “Jazzy” (Jasmine Shangreaux), who’s full of love, life and silliness. The wedding invite prompts Tana to pack up her late granny’s Cadillac and take what turns out to be a soul-stirring road trip from her home in Minnesota to South Dakota. Reconnecting with her Oglala Lakota family, Tana sees a decades-old photograph where her grandmother is in plain view, seemingly at one with nature and herself. This inspires Tana to continue her road trip in search of this place and moment in time. On her journey, Tana encounters and bonds with everyday people who have settled off the beaten path–including a young man who recognizes where the photograph was taken. Tana heads for the lost location to gain what she hopes will be a sense of closure relative to her grandma.
In some respects the authenticity captured in The Unknown Country reflects some of the documentary sensibilities that Maltz and Hajek developed and honed on Ingrid, which tells the story of a successful Texas fashion designer who left that existence entirely, becoming a recluse in the woods where she creates art out of rocks from a nearby creek. The documentary delves into what drove the fashion designer to seek another life, immerse herself in nature and become a self-sufficient woman of the woods.
The Unknown Country has some of that documentary feel. Maltz and Hajek take that reality and mesh it with fiction and elements of magic. The film’s realism also has roots in Maltz’s personal odyssey as she found herself driving from time to time from Texas to South Dakota to be with her husband when he was there at work on a project. During the course of these road trips, Maltz built relationships along the way with–and took photographs of–a number of real people who wound up being cast in The Unknown Country. Included in that mix was co-writer, producer and first-time actor Lainey Bearkiller Shangreuax who brought elements of her family’s Oglala Lakota community into the story, a connection and lineage that grew stronger with the involvement of Native American actress Gladstone.
For Maltz there was a shared dynamic behind Ingrid and The Unknown Country. Her quest to find outsider artists eventually led to coming together with the real-life Ingrid. Maltz’s exploration of Ingrid’s world was gratifying. Maltz explained that driving to unknown places and meeting folks like Ingrid–and similarly the real people whom the filmmaker bonded with and wound up casting in The Unknown Country–opened her and Hajek’s “minds and worlds” in turn to consider, discover and appreciate another world. In discovering Shangreuax and others, the world uncovered provided the tapestry that brought The Unknown Country to fruition as a poetic narrative film.
Hajek marveled at Maltz’s efforts as a producer and director, particularly nurturing relatable performances from real people playing themselves. The DP noted that with non-professional actors, you have to be “more delicate.” Helping Maltz immeasurably, he observed, was that she “cared about these people in real life” and was adept at “managing these real-life relationships.” Hajek added that due to limited resources and budget, Maltz had to be a jack of all trades, “threading the needle” of producer, writer, director, driver, breakfast maker and so much more.
Maltz said that perhaps her biggest takeaway or lesson learned from The Unknown Country was “the power of a small group” to realize a vision through “willpower and love.” The experience of a relatively few individuals coming together to make something creative happen, she affirmed, “inspires me to continue to make things.” At the same time, observed Maltz, there's the responsibility of the sacred trust she felt to make it all work given that "everyone I loved so much was giving so much of themselves" to do justice to the story.
Hajek added that The Unknown Country was “a nontraditional film” that entailed going in with some “loose concepts” and being “open to the process and new things.” Hajek said that his experience on The Unknown Country has made him more amenable to embracing new possibilities that arise–even when shooting a commercial with a well defined storyboard. He described himself as more willing “to come into a space and be totally open to what is going to happen, to use my instinct and vision to make cool choices.” He related that it’s been moving to see audiences connect with The Unknown Country on a deep level, validating the talent and commitment of cast and crew members who adapted when the film at times called for them to break the rules and take an unconventional route in order to be true to the spirit of a lyrical story.
Hajek went with the ARRI Alexa Mini for The Unknown Country, drawn to the natural look it can capture. To build on that natural feel, Kowa anamorphic lenses were deployed to, as Hajek explained, “make digital cameras that are clean look a little more messy.” The DP added that Maltz was drawn to that quality in that it was more simpatico with her aesthetic as a photographer. “The more you can help the world kind of crumple, break and dissolve with your lensing, the better chance it can feel realistic,” Hajek observed. This is all the more useful on a project that didn’t have the luxury of a large art department budget.
At press time Maltz and Hajek were continuing to promote The Unknown Country, having wrapped their subsequent, not-yet-released project together, a narrative film centered on the Jazzy character. Thanks to separate interim agreements between SAG-AFTRA and the indie production companies involved, the promotional efforts on behalf of The Unknown Country and the production of the Jazzy movie came to pass. The Unknown Country was one of the first projects to get an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA and the film has been well received, with the Los Angeles Times describing Maltz as a “talent to watch.”
Meanwhile another talent to watch who continues to gain momentum is Gladstone. Her work in The Unknown Country has been followed by further acclaim and early season awards buzz for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s much anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon.
