MAGELLAN

From the Philippines’ Lav Diaz, one certainly cannot expect a conventional biopic about the famous Portuguese circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan. At just over two and a half hours long, however, his latest work is almost a short film by his standards – and Gael García Bernal in the title role also ensures that this is perhaps the most “commercial” film by the award-winning director. As always, Diaz tells the story in uninterrupted, unmoving long shots that allow the viewer to immerse themselves completely in the foreign world of the 16th century. A film full of violence, but also of spectacular natural beauty.