First Releases: Cinematic “Fasting” and “Magellan”

After an incomprehensible flurry of premieres in recent weeks, only two new films are hitting theaters tonight, following the distribution agencies’ recent fast.

“Magellan” Historical adventure, Portuguese and Filipino production of 2025, directed by Lav Diaz, with Gael García Bernal, Angela Azevedo, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Hazel Orencio, Bong Cabrera, etc.

One of the most acclaimed directors of Asian art cinema, incomparable, special, with his enormously long films, from five to eight hours, his slow-motion magical shots, black and white, paying attention to details and mainly to what revolves around the core of his subject, the Filipino Lav Diaz, returns with an epic, but short by his own standards (160 minutes), biographical epic, based on the life of Magellan. And, moreover, shot in color.

Perhaps his most accessible film to the general public, as Diaz, on the one hand, avoids his famous long shots this time, replacing them with a relatively quick succession of scenes, and on the other hand, for the first time, he has a world-famous protagonist, for the title role, the star of Latin American cinema and excellent actor, Gael García Bernal.

However, Diaz’s biographical dramatic adventure about the Portuguese navigator Magellan is more of an occasion to talk about European colonialism, man against nature, the resistance of the natives and, above all, their leader Lapu-Lapu. A mythical figure, probably created by local folk mythology, in order to discourage Magellan’s crew from converting more natives to Christianity, at the risk of provoking reactions as a revisionist of history, which actually happened according to some historians.

In the 16th century, the young and ambitious Portuguese navigator Magellan rebels against the authority of the king, who does not support his dream of discovering the world. However, he convinces the Spanish crown to finance his daring expedition to the mythical lands of the East. The journey proves to be much more exhausting than expected, with hunger driving his crew to mutiny. When they reach the islands of the Malay Archipelago in 1511, Magellan’s thinking changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which triggers violent uprisings by the natives beyond his control.

Diaz will describe Magellan, a visionary seafarer who will fall into an obsession with conquest and domination over the natives, focusing on his protagonist, while wisely avoiding entering the framework of a biographical drama and depicting the massacres caused by the Europeans in Malaysia – and replacing them with his familiar silences. He is content with their macabre result, the smell of death, the stinking ashes that his men leave behind.

His crew’s cry of “Long live Portugal” rings hollow, as do the delusional proclamations that “once Islam is lost, Christianity will be eternal.” At the same time, his beautiful wife, Beatriz, visits him in his dreams to remind him of his tender side, but ultimately the effect, with Diaz’s sardonic gaze, is to intensify the viewer’s disgust for the vital gains he brought to Western Civilization.

Gael García Bernal’s performance convincingly portrays the visionary, determined traveler, with his physical and mental wear and tear, while the work done in editing and photography by Arthur Tort, together with the director, is also quite good.

IN A FEW WORDS… Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan leads a Spanish expedition to the Spice Islands in 1519. He suppresses rebellions, attempts to subjugate the indigenous populations, and ultimately meets his death in the Philippines.

Solo Mio

“Solo Mio” A romantic comedy, American production of 2025, directed by Charles Keenan and Dan Keenan, with Kevin James, Nicole Grimaudo, Kim Coates, Alyson Hannigan, Jonathan Rumi, etc.

An unexpected box office success in the US, this is the sweet – just right for a hypoglycemic attack – emotional comedy by the disreputable directorial duo, the Keenan brothers, starring and frequently collaborating with them, the rough-and-tumble comedian Kevin James.

A typical example of “Americanism”, the film, a production of the “independent” Angel Studios, based in Utah and known for promoting the Christian faith, surprisingly also made it to European cinemas, making greater use of Rome, where the filming and romantic entanglements of a naive American with a dynamic, independent-minded Italian woman took place.

An American teacher, Matt, proposes to his sweetheart, in front of his students, and happily plans to make his dream come true, having their wedding in Rome and then their honeymoon in the Eternal City and its surroundings. However, his fiancée does not show up at the wedding and he is left hopelessly stranded in Rome. So, despite his sadness and with the encouragement of two other American tourists, he will continue his honeymoon, a monk, in search of his own sun. During one of his wanderings, he will meet Gia, the owner of a cafe in Rome, a charming Italian woman, and he will approach her, despite his hesitations.

If we exclude the, albeit postcard, images of idyllic Rome, you don’t have to expect much from the film, as the mediocre and out-of-the-box protagonist Kevin James can never develop even the most basic chemistry with the likeable Nicole Grimaudo, while the farcical-comic elements come to destroy any good intentions of a heartfelt romantic comedy about the existence of a second chance in love and life.

The Kinnan brothers’ attempt to bring together American and Italian culture, the American psyche with the Roman temperament, falls flat on its face at the Trevi Fountain. A tourist attraction, much like the film itself, with a script full of exaggerations and absurd situations – especially the visit to Tuscany and what happens at Gia’s mansion, and a sugary finale, taken from the “best” of Greek cinema of the ’60s.

The performances of the American actors are disappointing, in contrast to those of their Italian colleagues, who maintain a level of quality despite the non-existent development of their characters, while for a few minutes and for no reason, the famous tenor Andrea Bocelli also appears.

IN A BIT… Matt has been saving money for years to make his girlfriend’s dream wedding in Italy a reality, and to plan a lavish honeymoon. When his fiancée fails to show up for church, Matt is forced to go on his honeymoon alone, which will introduce him to Italian culture and Gia, an Italian woman who helps him rediscover his faith in the possibility of love.

The film will premiere on Easter Monday.