A New York City documentary crew sets up shop in rural Argentina in “Magic Farm,” an Americans-abroad satire that teeters between pop treat and indie trifle. It is the second feature from the writer, director and actress Amalia Ulman (“El Planeta”), who across her work shows a knack for droll humor, a soft spot for pretenders and a penchant for play.
The story follows Justin (Joe Apollonio) and Elena (Ulman), crew members hoping to salvage a TV segment about quirky subcultures after a gaffe lands them in the wrong country. In the movie, Ulman makes use of a more famous cast — including Chloë Sevigny as a vexed TV anchor — although it is the film’s lesser-known actors who stand out. Apollonio, as a man-child with a crush, is a wry delight, as is the newcomer Camila del Campo, who plays a pouting local coquette.
Ingeniously simmering under the folly is a health crisis that has afflicted the agricultural area for decades. This is the film’s joke: If the crew could only get their heads out of their rears, they would uncover a gonzo documentary gold mine.
At points, “Magic Farm” idles so heavily that one wonders whether Ulman suffered her own preproduction blunder, stranding her cast and crew in South America without the material to back up her vision. But by pairing the loose subject matter with a curlicued visual style — at one point, she straps the camera to a dog’s head — Ulman suggests that she knows what she’s doing.
Magic Farm
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. In theaters.
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