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Zama

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Zama

Released Apr 13, 2018

1h 55m

History

Drama

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96%

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116 Reviews

57%

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250+ Ratings

Zama, an officer of the Spanish Crown born in South America, waits for a letter from the King granting him a transfer from the town in which he is stagnating, to a better place. His situation is delicate. He must ensure that nothing overshadows his transfer. He is forced to accept submissively every task entrusted to him by successive Governors who come and go as he stays behind.

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Critics Consensus

Zama offers a series of scathingly insightful observations about colonialism and class dynamics -- and satisfyingly ends a long wait between projects from writer-director Lucrecia Martel.

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Ben Croll

IndieWire

As an existential objet d'art Zama stands as a serious achievement. But that won't prevent even the most sophisticated of cinephiles from staggering out of the theater, wondering "What in the world did I just see?"

Rated: B

Feb 12, 2020

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

This blackly funny-and ultimately haunting-examination of colonial history is thoroughly characteristic in its brilliant manipulation of physical space.

Jan 17, 2019

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

If cinema is about being transported to another place, Martel is unrivaled as a guide...

Dec 7, 2018

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Aaron Charles

InSession Film

I must give Martel credit for her firmness in sticking to the story. But there wasn't enough visually or thematically here in a film that focuses on a man who is…just waiting.

Rated: D-

May 9, 2024

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Given my previous description of Lucrecia Martel, it will likely not surprise you that Zama is not for everyone. It is slow moving, difficult, and takes some real work to access as a viewer. That said, it is also a wonderful film...

Feb 21, 2024

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Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

Zama demonstrates Lucrecia Martel's intelligence in surgically designing scenes and capturing her particular vision of the story. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 10/10

Dec 13, 2023

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S R

Ambitious project that took a different look on the drag of colonialism on the "elite". Ultimately, it took it too far and tried too hard to make something unique. Props for trying. I only saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list. SLC DVD.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/25

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Joan N

Totally loved this Lucrecia Martel film. A fascinating take on period cinema. surreal, strange, with an indelible ending.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/29/24

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Alec B

As much as the titular character suffers, Martel doesn't turn him into a tragic figure nor do his torments overshadow the very real horrors of late 18th century colonialism. Its an impressive feat, one that's matched by the haunting and enigmatic ending.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

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Richard P

Having seen this film in the cinema several years ago, I was delighted to find it on Mubi and have a second chance to see it. A film which enchanted nearly all critics and sharply divided audiences has left me still decidedly on the side of the critics. The action of the film has a dream-like quality and is seen through the eyes of Don Diego de Zama, a magistrate in Spain's eighteenth century colonial empire, whose utter downfall we witness. The period milieu is convincingly realised as the camera pans slowly over the dim interiors, the sun-drenched landscapes and seascapes and the inhabitants, both European and native.While some have criticised the film's slowness, I found the strangeness of everything compellingly hypnotic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/18/23

Full Review

Damien B

ZAMA is an interesting character study of a man seemingly lost in limbo, while the initial story seems as if it will expand, it instead narrows and plods along to an uncertain and unexpected end. Solid acting, but the pacing definitely leaves something to be desired. A good film for fans of peculiar survival stories, such as the Vincent Cassel film about Gauguin in French Polynesia.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Eric P

Brilliant, subdued. A colonial administrator's experiences as if portrayed by Kafka.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/22

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Lucrecia Martel

Director

Daniel Giménez Cacho

Don Diego de Zama

Lola Dueñas

Luciana Piñares de Luenga

Matheus Nachtergaele

Vicuña Porto

Juan Minujín

Ventura Prieto

Nahuel Cano

Manuel Fernández

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Zama: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Zama, an officer of the Spanish Crown born in South America, waits for a letter from the King granting him a transfer from the town in which he is stagnating, to a better place. His situation is delicate. He must ensure that nothing overshadows his transfer. He is forced to accept submissively every task entrusted to him by successive Governors who come and go as he stays behind.

Director: Lucrecia Martel
Producer: Vânia Catani, Benjamín Doménech, Santiago Gallelli
Screenwriter: Lucrecia Martel
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: KNM, Patagonik Film Group, Bananeira Filmes, O Som e a Fúria, Strand Releasing, Telecine, El Deseo S.A., Canana Films, Louverture Films, Lemming Film
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 8, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $200.2K
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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