• Adventure
• Drama
• History

Magellan 2025

Directed by the acclaimed Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, Magellan (2025) is a subversive historical epic that deconstructs the traditional hero narrative of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The film begins in 1511 during the Capture of Malacca, where Magellan acquires his enslaved translator, Enrique, who serves as the story’s moral anchor and a witness to the unfolding colonial violence. Moving between Portugal and the open seas, the narrative portrays Magellan’s growing paranoia and religious fanaticism as he secures funding from the Spanish Crown for his mission to the East. A central, controversial theme is the film’s revisionist depiction of the Battle of Mactan; Diaz presents Datu Lapu-Lapu not as a historical individual, but as a mythic figure invented by Rajah Humabon to intimidate the European fleet, ultimately suggesting that Magellan was lured into a calculated trap and killed by Humabon’s own men. The film features a diverse international cast led by Gael García Bernal, who portrays Ferdinand Magellan as a stoic yet increasingly tyrannical figure whose idealism curdles into obsession. Ângela Azevedo (alternatively credited as Ângela Ramos) plays Magellan’s wife, Beatriz Barbosa, appearing frequently in spectral dream sequences that humanize the explorer’s domestic life. Amado Arjay Babon stars as Enrique, the Malayan slave whose perspective bridges the gap between the colonizers and the indigenous peoples of the archipelago. The supporting cast includes Ronnie Lazaro as the cunning Rajah Humabon, Dario Yazbek Bernal as Duarte Barbosa, and Hazel Orencio as Juana, with Brontis Jodorowsky appearing as the formidable Bishop Juan de Fonseca. Having premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Première section, the film served as the Philippines' official entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. It saw a theatrical release in the Philippines on September 10, 2025, and began a limited North American rollout through Janus Films on January 9, 2026. During its opening weekend in New York and Los Angeles, the film earned approximately $28,300, reflecting its status as a specialized art-house release. While a major global streaming platform has not been announced, the film is expected to debut on The Criterion Channel in North America and MUBI internationally later in 2026, following its run in international film festivals and boutique cinemas. Read More

• 2025
• 2 h : 44 min
• 27 views
• 6.541
• R-16