Movie

Zama

2017 · 115 min

A slow, oppressive immersion into colonial stagnation, where bureaucratic frustration and creeping paranoia feel physically suffocating.

Overview: In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, officer Zama of the Spanish crown waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. He suffers small humiliations and petty politicking as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia.
How it feels: Bleak, tense, melancholic and eerie. Slow-burning and demanding.
About: Isolation, obsession, power, colonialism
Content: Strong violence. Mild gore, sexual content and language.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Full breakdown

Tone: bleakstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
eeriestrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: isolation
obsession
power
colonialism
identity
Places: countryside
wilderness
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild

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Genres: drama, history
Directed by: Lucrecia Martel
Written by: Lucrecia Martel
Starring: Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lola Dueñas, Matheus Nachtergaele, Juan Minujín, Nahuel Cano, Mariana Nunes, Carlos Defeo, Rafael Spregelburd
Cinematography: Rui Poças
Runtime: 115 min
Country: Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, France, Lebanon, Netherlands, United States of America, Dominican Republic
Languages: Guarani, Portuguese, Spanish