Magic Farm
A group of inept hipster filmmakers from New York descend on a small town in Argentina in this fanciful satire from Argentine-Spanish conceptual artist and film director Amalia Ulman
Amalia Ulman's Magic Farm follows a group of NYC hipster media brats – Jeff (Alex Wolff), Justin (Joe Apollonio), Elena (Ulman herself) – and the face of their brand, Edna (It girl superstar Sevigny), as they travel to rural Argentina to make a hard-hitting documentary. It turns out, however, that they’re more interested in chasing clout than the reality of the country.
After getting a tip-off about a musician and a bunny-ears-wearing trend in Argentina that proves to be a dead end, they don't pivot, say, to a doc about the issues around them – protests about the abortion ban instigated by the president of Argentina or the issue of toxic aggro-chemicals used on village crops – but decide to just… make something up and stage it.
Watching their farcical attempts is a real joy. Absurd zingers abound, and much comedy comes from the smartly observed characters they come across, like Popa, the rural woman who never has any water, only bottles of Coca-Cola, and randomly bursts into a monologue about her brief romance with Gérard Depardieu.
A scene where the filmmakers hold a dance contest in an old community hall feels like something from a Miloš Forman film – deadpan and hilarious. “This feels wrong," Sevigny says, as they watch a young girl in a bikini with HONEY tattooed on her chest dance. The Argentinian characters are comic, but Ulman treats them with a feeling of tender pride. The dumb Americans abroad trope may be well-worn, but here, it feels fresh.
Released 16 May by MUBI; certificate 15