If the film is to be appreciated it is for the work of the author and scriptwriter Nobel laureate J M Coetzee, not the director Ciro Guerra. Colombian director Guerra was notable as the director of "Embrace of the Serpent" also dealing with colonial actions in Amazonian South America; here he is less spectacular. He might not have been familiar with English language but scriptwriter Coetzee was there. But as a director??? At best, actor Mark Rylance is notable. The Italian director Valerio Zurlini's film "The Desert of the Tartars" (based on Dino Buzatti's novel) made in 1976 has a somewhat similar tale but is way superior as a film to this one.
The desert storm scene is not as spectacular as in Peter Brook's 1979 film "Meetings with Remarkable Men."
The desert storm scene is not as spectacular as in Peter Brook's 1979 film "Meetings with Remarkable Men."