A magistrate serving at an isolated frontier settlement of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement. His hopes are shattered by the arrival of Colonel Joll, who's tasked with reporting on the security situation along the border. Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations. His treatment of the indigenous people they call barbarians, including the torture of a young woman lead the magistrate to a crisis of conscience and a quixotic act of rebellion. Famous Columbian director Ciro Guerra casts the impressive trio of Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson and Mark Rylance for his English-language debut.

"Undefined period and place lift this film above the traditional historical drama genre and offer subtle interpretations of the present." (Aistė Račaitytė)

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