At the dawn of the modern era, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan leads an expedition under the Spanish crown in search of the first westward route to the Spice Islands. He embarks on a perilous journey across the uncharted Pacific, where his fleet faces starvation, mutiny, and the psychological toll of endless seas. Upon reaching the shores of Cebu, Magellan is pulled into a fatal conflict with the natives by his drive to spread Catholicism, culminating in his tragic doom.
Direction
Lav Diaz at 163 minutes is practically a short film for him.
Cinematography
Black-and-white ocean shots that make infinity feel claustrophobic.
Acting
Bernal's quiet unraveling as the certainty curdles.
Director
Lav Diaz
Gael García Bernal
Fernão de Magalhães
Amado Arjay Babon
Enrique de Malacca
Ronnie Lazaro
Rajah Humabon
Ângela Ramos
María Caldera Beatriz Barbosa
Dario Yazbek Bernal
Duarte Barbosa
Tomás Alves
Francisco Serrão
Bong Cabrera
Rajah Kulambo
Hazel Orencio
Reyna Juana
Baptiste Pinteaux
Father Dela Reina
Roger Alan Koza
Alfonso de Albuquerque
Brontis Jodorowsky
Bishop Fonseca
Valdemar Santos
Rui Faleiro
Ivo Arroja
Cristóvão
Rafa Siguion-Reyna
Nuno
Sasa Cabalquinto
Babaylan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lav Diaz's actual shortest feature in years; he once made a 10-hour film about Filipino independence.
The film reclaims Magellan from European hero worship by centering Enrique, his enslaved interpreter who may have completed the circumnavigation.
PT
