Magellan Blu-ray presents Lav Diaz’s monumental historical epic in a stark and hypnotic vision of conquest, faith, and violence. Part of the Criterion Premieres line, this powerful film re-examines the legacy of Ferdinand Magellan through a deeply critical and poetic lens.
 
Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal) embarks on a historic expedition to cross the Pacific, driven by ambition and imperial purpose. As his journey unfolds, his mission becomes increasingly entangled with religious zeal and colonial domination, leading to devastating consequences for the people he encounters in the Philippines.
 
Through minimalist storytelling and striking visual compositions, Lav Diaz crafts a haunting reflection on the brutality of empire and the erasure of precolonial cultures. Anchored by a compelling and subversive performance from García Bernal, Magellan stands as a bold and unflinching work of historical cinema.
 
directed by: Lav Diaz
starring: Gael García Bernal
2025 / 163 min / Portuguese, Spanish, Cebuano
 
FILM INFO
• Philippines, Portugal, Spain
• 2025
• 163 minutes
• Color
• 1.33:1
• Portuguese, Spanish, Cebuano