English Subs – Utama

A film that shows the disastrous influence of climate change on traditionally living peoples, in dazzling images. Utama is a delicate and beautifully shot film with an ominous message.

Utama opens with the stunningly beautiful image of an elderly man walking towards the golden sunrise over the mountains. This is Virginio, whose weathered face is as cracked as the earth beneath his feet. Virginio spends his days wandering the scorched plateau of Bolivia’s Andes Mountains, grazing his herd of fluffy llamas. He and his wife Sisa live without running water and without electricity.

It is Sisa’s job to fetch water, while Virginio grazes the llamas. The problem, however, is that there is no longer any rain in the region and the snow no longer shows itself on mountain tops. The village well has dried up. “Time has grown weary”, a friend mutters to Virginio to explain the drought. But the truth is that climate change is making life unbearable – even though global warming is ever spoken of in this movie.