Hoezo in KINO

Filipino director Lav Diaz isn’t bothered with commercially viable running times and the excellent Magellan is an exercise in brevity in comparison to his previous endeavors. This beautiful yet stark portrait of the 16th century spice trade concerns the few winners but mostly losers of this brutal imperialist practice. We witness the seemingly endless sea travels without proper sustenance, unthinkable onboard corporal punishment and the unforgiving elements these seafaring men endured onboard the armada. Then there’s the inhabitants of the fertile spice destinations subjected to the cultural and ecological onslaught brought on by the invading entities raiding their shores. All that suffering and destruction to fill the coffers of the crown under the guise of spreading the one true faith. Gael García Bernal is quietly brilliant as the titular Magalhães dealing with the implications of Empire that shaped the modern world. Spanish and Portuguese language with English subtitles.