DIRECTOR: Lav Diaz
STARRING: Gael Garcia Bernal, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Angela Ramos, Hazel Orencio
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 35 minutes
LANGUAGE: Portuguese, French, Spanish, Tagalog
PLOT: In the 16th century, Ferdinand Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, defies the will of the Portuguese king, who dismisses his dream of global discovery, and instead convinces the Spanish crown to back his daring quest to reach the legendary lands of the East.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Borba, Cadiz, Sampaloc, Mauban
To check out all previous submissions for Philippines, click HERE.
STARRING: Gael Garcia Bernal, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Angela Ramos, Hazel Orencio
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 35 minutes
LANGUAGE: Portuguese, French, Spanish, Tagalog
PLOT: In the 16th century, Ferdinand Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, defies the will of the Portuguese king, who dismisses his dream of global discovery, and instead convinces the Spanish crown to back his daring quest to reach the legendary lands of the East.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Borba, Cadiz, Sampaloc, Mauban
To check out all previous submissions for Philippines, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“We are killing so many in the name of the crown and God."
Lav Diaz’s Magellan is a monumental work that reimagines one of history’s most mythologized voyages through the director’s singular cinematic lens. Known for his epic, contemplative storytelling, Diaz turns his attention to the journey of Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who, under the Spanish crown, set sail in search of a western route to the Spice Islands. Instead of crafting a straightforward historical epic, Diaz weaves together history, allegory, and reflection, offering a film that is less about the spectacle of conquest and more about the fractured legacy of colonial encounters. With Gael García Bernal embodying Magellan, the film grounds its narrative in both the human flaws and the sweeping ambitions of its central figure.
Shot across the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain, the film’s visual language captures both the lush, humid weight of the tropics and the imposing, oceanic expanse of maritime exploration. Diaz employs his signature long takes and deliberate pacing, drawing viewers into the rhythm of the journey rather than the rush of discovery. The scenes set in the Philippines, particularly in Sampaloc and Mauban, resonate with layered meaning, as they are filmed on the very soil where history unfolded. Meanwhile, the ship sequences filmed aboard the replica of the Victoria anchor the film in tactile, lived-in authenticity, making the voyage feel both mythic and immediate.
Bernal’s Magellan is not portrayed as a flawless hero but as a deeply conflicted man, torn between ambition and fragility. Diaz complicates the image of the explorer, highlighting not only his audacity but also his arrogance and blindness to the cultures he encounters. The film’s supporting cast, including actors from the Philippines, embody the voices that history often silences, creating a counter-narrative to the Eurocentric story of discovery. This duality, between myth and reality, domination and resistance, becomes the film’s emotional core.
Magellan is less about the man himself and more about the consequences of his voyage. Diaz frames the expedition as a metaphor for the violence of colonialism, the exploitation of lands and peoples, and the heavy cost of ambition masked as discovery. By slowing down and demanding reflection, the film reminds us that history is not only about those who sailed and conquered, but also about those who endured and resisted. The main point of Diaz’s Magellan is to strip away the romanticism of conquest and reveal its wounds, urging viewers to confront how the past continues to echo in the present.
(This review contains spoilers.)
“We are killing so many in the name of the crown and God."
Lav Diaz’s Magellan is a monumental work that reimagines one of history’s most mythologized voyages through the director’s singular cinematic lens. Known for his epic, contemplative storytelling, Diaz turns his attention to the journey of Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who, under the Spanish crown, set sail in search of a western route to the Spice Islands. Instead of crafting a straightforward historical epic, Diaz weaves together history, allegory, and reflection, offering a film that is less about the spectacle of conquest and more about the fractured legacy of colonial encounters. With Gael García Bernal embodying Magellan, the film grounds its narrative in both the human flaws and the sweeping ambitions of its central figure.
Shot across the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain, the film’s visual language captures both the lush, humid weight of the tropics and the imposing, oceanic expanse of maritime exploration. Diaz employs his signature long takes and deliberate pacing, drawing viewers into the rhythm of the journey rather than the rush of discovery. The scenes set in the Philippines, particularly in Sampaloc and Mauban, resonate with layered meaning, as they are filmed on the very soil where history unfolded. Meanwhile, the ship sequences filmed aboard the replica of the Victoria anchor the film in tactile, lived-in authenticity, making the voyage feel both mythic and immediate.
Bernal’s Magellan is not portrayed as a flawless hero but as a deeply conflicted man, torn between ambition and fragility. Diaz complicates the image of the explorer, highlighting not only his audacity but also his arrogance and blindness to the cultures he encounters. The film’s supporting cast, including actors from the Philippines, embody the voices that history often silences, creating a counter-narrative to the Eurocentric story of discovery. This duality, between myth and reality, domination and resistance, becomes the film’s emotional core.
Magellan is less about the man himself and more about the consequences of his voyage. Diaz frames the expedition as a metaphor for the violence of colonialism, the exploitation of lands and peoples, and the heavy cost of ambition masked as discovery. By slowing down and demanding reflection, the film reminds us that history is not only about those who sailed and conquered, but also about those who endured and resisted. The main point of Diaz’s Magellan is to strip away the romanticism of conquest and reveal its wounds, urging viewers to confront how the past continues to echo in the present.
