Magic Farm

A Vice-like camera crew of crack(ed) US reporters arrive in San Cristóbal , Argentina, to break a cutting edge story about a viral musician with a penchant for wearing bunny ears… Only they’re in the wrong country, and with the travel budget already spent, they need to stick around and dig up another, equally juicy tale. The film’s big (but sly) joke is that they remain completely oblivious to the serious scoop right under their noses.

Chloe Sevigny headlines Amalia Ulman’s quirky culture clash comedy, a throwback of sorts to early Jim Jarmusch or Aki Kaurismaki. That is to say, it’s a slow burner about idiosyncratic oddballs kicking around on the margins (even if the Americans think they’re primed for bigger things). Ulman, who also plays the crew’s translator, and DP Carlos Rigo Belliver adopt a playful vibe, accentuating the fish-out-of-water feel, while the Argentine cast cheerfully steal every scene and every cent coming to them.

The second feature from the writer, director and actress Amalia Ulman (El Planeta) shows a knack for droll humor, a soft spot for pretenders and a penchant for play.

Natalia Winkelman, New York Times

A charming satire about the endless capacity for lying found in people who ostensibly devote their lives to telling the truth, Magic Farm is a deceptively leisurely film. It overflows with big ideas on topics ranging from exploitative media to the sexual politics of casual hookups to corporate farming and the health crises it creates.

Christian Zilko, IndieWire

A formally radical, biting satire about odious, privileged Americans adrift in a remote Argentine rural town.

Carlos Aguilar, Variety