A prolific encounter between producer Albert Serra’s historical cinema and the political realism of director Lav Diaz, Magellan offers a radical retelling of Europe’s colonial narrative by framing the destructive encounter between the famous Portuguese explorer and the Indigenous people of the Philippines. The epic breadth of the production clashes with the close-mindedness of the settlers, who impose Christian dogmas on the unwilling locals, but also on their own countrymen in this meticulously crafted period piece that combines satirical jabs at the imperialist enterprise with a heartfelt exploration of seafarers’ hardships.