Embrace of the Serpent 2015

     This film is based on diaries by scientists Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evan Schultes.  It is the story of the relationship between Karamakate and the two scientists.  Karamakate is an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his tribe of people.  There are two separate stories of journeys to find the rare yakruna sacred plant.  The journey with Theo was in 1909 and the one with Evan was in 1940.  Theo is an ethnologist from Germany and Evan is an American botanist.  Theo is very sick and the yakruna is the only cure for his disease.  Evan has a book recording Theo’s journey and he wants to make drawings of the yakruna plant. 

     Karamakate is the guide for both Theo and Evan but Manduca also travels with Evan.  Karamakate says he can’t remember any of the customs of his people now that he is old and he can’t remember how to locate the yakruna plant.  Evan has lied to Karamakte and he’s not interested in the plant.  He wants to obtain a disease free rubber tree to increase rubber exports to America.  The yakruna grows on rubber trees and improves their quality.  The underlying theme of this film is the effect of European colonialism on the Amazon.  This film reminds me of Fitzcarraldo directed by Werner Herzog.  This film was confusing to me and I didn’t understand until later that it was the same Karamakate and it was the same journey just at different time periods.  The yakruna plant is fictitious and doesn’t exist in the Amazon.  3* (This movie is OK)

125 min, Adventure directed by Ciro Guerra with Nilbio Torres, Jan Bijvoet, Antonio Bolivar, Brionne Davis, Miguel Dionisio Ramos, Luigi Sciamanna, Nicolas Cancino, Pediwake Daniel Martinez, Jose Sabogal.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 97% critic 84% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, The Guardian 5* out of 5* review by Mark Kermode, Metacritic 82 out of 100 with 31 critics 7.8 out of 10 with 60 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Vaupes and Guainia, Colombia.  This the first Colombian film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.  The languages spoken are Cubeo, Wanano, Tikuna and Uitoto.  The Governor of the Guainia Department decorated Ciro Guerra with the Order of the Inirida Flower.  This is a symbol of respect and value for featuring the indigenous populations in his film.  This award also gave the Department recognition for tourism and culture.  A young girl of 13, has leishmaniasis.  This is a disease caused by parasites spread by the bite of certain types of sandflies.  Theo is suffering from malaria.