Zama

Director Lucrecia Martel returns with an adaptation of Antonio Di Benedetto’s existential novel, a richly layered exploration of personal malaise.

In her first feature since 2008’s The Headless Woman, Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel’s adaptation follows Don Diego de Zama, a minor officer in an unnamed colony of the 18th-century Spanish crown, desperate to return to his family. As his request is repeatedly delayed by red tape, Martel charts his decline with opulent visuals and a multi-layered soundscape.

Zama, which premiered as the Sight & Sound Special Presentation at the BFI London Film Festival in 2017, is a new high for one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of her generation. Ranked joint 196th in the 2022 Sight and Sound Great Films of All Time poll.