Asked by a European scientist to track down a plant with reputed curative powers, an elderly native Amazonian recalls how he helped another Caucasian man on a similar quest four decades earlier in this Oscar nominated drama from Colombia. The film is lusciously shot in black and white with excellent attention to on-location sound and the performances of the four main players are very strong as the film flips between the present-day and past adventures as recalled by the Amazonian. Several interesting ideas surface in the first half of the film as the past scientist expresses reluctance to leave his compass behind with an indigenous tribe, lest it change their culture and understanding of the world, while at the same time oblivious to the fact that his own very presence is enough to provide a rift in their world. Is not, however, until over an hour in that the film truly takes off as the present-day scientist visits a tribe where the missionaries have been ironically crucified and a fake messiah (dressed to look like traditional images of Jesus no less) is worshipped. While this religious fanaticism angle sadly only lasts for around half an hour, it remains the high point of the movie, highlighting just how detrimental European presence has the potential to be in the untouched wild with the "worst of both worlds" come together. This might not be the easiest film to endure with deliberate pacing and many periods of sparse dialogue, but the impression it leaves is hard to shake.
Review of Embrace of the Serpent
