ZAMA

ZAMA, 2017

Argentina, Brazil|DCP, Color, 115' |Spanish
Director: Lucrecia Martel
Cast: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele

Adapted to the movie screens from Antonio di Benedetto’s novel with the same name, Zama depicts the story of Don Diego De Zama, a judge in Paraguay, one
of the Spanish colonies during the 18^th century, who has been expecting a promotion for a long time. Directed by Martel after a nine-year hiatus, Zama is the first literary adaptation by the director, and the first time she focuses on a male character. Recreating the colonial history of Argentine in a critical manner, Zama is a story about isolation and insanity. Produced by famous names such as Pedro Almodóvar and Gael García Bernal, the film’s hero Zama decides to find solutions by himself when he is finally fed up with waiting, not getting the things he is promised, being away from his family, and justice not functioning. As always, the film’s texture, its skin is more important than its story for Martel. What stands out is a feeling regarding non-existent spaces, an emotional and sensory experience that she wants to get across to her audience. With the promotion letter that never arrives, we are also made to wait along with Zama, and in time we are engulfed in the waiting. With the spectacular South American natural landscape as its backdrop, Zama is a notable cinematographic masterpiece.