Alejandro Loayza Grisi's Utama captures the drama of real life noiselessly

There is something disquieting about the long deep meditative silences in Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama. As though time has come to a halt. This, of course, is an illusion. But what a grand illusion! It can only happen in places where civilization has not groped molested ploughed the virgin lands. Set in the Bolivian highlands where God perhaps still lives, Utama is an artless journey into unspoilt lives. The drama of existence is treated as a situation of muted sentiments. There are no big showdowns or pulpit-styled speeches on the despoliation of Nature by mankind. There are three main characters and one incidental character, a doctor who walks in at a crucial point and walks away quietly. This is the world that commands our respect for its simplicity: no machines, no technology, no complications. Just Virginio (José Calcina) with his llamas grazing sheepishly in the wide open green acres. His devoted hardworking wife Sisa (Luisa Quispe) worrying about having to fetch water from miles away. She confesses to her husband that the water supply even in the distance is running out, and so is her energy level. We can feel that this world of unfettered freedom is endangered, threatened by forces far beyond the control of this innocent couple. No, we aren’t talking about big bullying bulldozers ravaging their paradise. Nothing so crude intrudes into UItima and its tranquil universe. What intrudes are disease and a grandson, not on that order. Virginio is as unhappy by his persistent cough as he is by the arrival of his grandson Clever, pronounced ‘clay-where’. What I liked about Utama is its repudiation of rural stereotypes. Clever(played by Santos Choque) is no golddigger from the city with evil designs on his grandparents’ wealth (he can’t be, they have none!). He is a kind gentle caring young man worried about his aging grandparents. He suggests they move to the city with him, but Grandpa Virginio says no. He would rather have his wife follow him into the afterlife.

True emotions may seem time-trammeled at first. But that is a mere illusion. There is a very genuine emotion underlining the sheer ingenuousness about the ambience and characters. The emphasis is on capturing the essence of every moment in the narration without fuss. In that Utama succeeds to the fullest. Barbara Alvarez’s cinematography keeps out of the protagonists’ way even while capturing the muted majesty of the highlands. Fernando Epstein’s editing is so off-line it feels the scenes have not been tampered with at all. Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram.