Don Diego de Zama is an 18th-century Spanish magistrate eternally languishing in wait for a transfer from the outpost to which he has been relegated. When his last hope of departure comes to naught, Zama joins an expedition to track down Vicuña Porto, a legendary outlaw who may or may not exist.

In an ingenious adaptation of the existentialist novel Zama, Argentine auteur Lucrecia Martel inserts her own incisive commentary on colonialism and masculinity. Frenzied first-person narration transforms to become a cinematic fugue state in this singular and stupefying period drama.