Magellan

When Magellan was released in the Philippines, Lav Diaz was criticized by some Filipinos for historical revisionism and for supporting pro-colonial ideas. The backlash was especially pronounced against the narrative choice to reduce the country’s first anti-colonial hero to…

Haru

so exhausting to travel

David Sims

Saw this again last night, and I moderated a talkback with Lav, Arjay Babon, and Bong Cabrera. My favorite thing I learned is that the production lost a sound machine in one of the storm scenes, the device washing away in the ocean. And while the crew scrambled to try and…

Philbert Dy

Claims of Lav Diaz’s inaccessibility is almost entirely in regards to the gargantuan lengths of his films - they’re actually deeply intricate classical narratives that are remarkably easy to follow. So it’s ironic of course that Magellan is the most “accessible” (so to…

Neil Bahadur

80 One Tableau After Another. Depicts colonialism as the process that it is: desolate, oppressive, and embarrassing.

SilentDawn

this is a series of moving paintings. some might say it’s too slow, but i didn’t mind at all. it actually gives you the space to sit with each moment Lav Diaz wants you to experience. Pigafetta is present, but what struck me is how minimal his role feels. that restraint…

e

There’s this incessant relentlessness that came with colonialism that Diaz’s Magellan cleverly explored in the voyage of his film’s titular character: wind-lashed seas that stretch beyond what the eye could see; the constant threats of mutiny that tested both faith and…

allain♡

Predictably this is was rough sit. Die hard slow cinema fans only. That cinematography is often gorgeous, with towering and rich 4:3 compositions. This is basically what prevented me from walking out, just trying to soak in the painterly images. I don’t feel this was the…

Brother Bro

Where possible, I always try to make room in my TIFF schedule for an endurance test film that I likely won't get the chance to see in a theater again, and so slow cinema legend Lav Diaz at 8:30am Day 1 made a lot of sense even if by all accounts this is (by his standards)…

Josh Lewis