It has received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the cinematography and the story's theme, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and way of life by white colonialism. The film was released in Colombia on, and worldwide over the course of the following twelve months. It was inspired by the travel diaries of Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes, and dedicated to lost Amazonian cultures.Įmbrace of the Serpent was premiered on during the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema Award. Shot almost entirely in black and white, the film follows two journeys made thirty years apart by the indigenous shaman Karamakate in the Colombian Amazonian jungle, one with Theo, a German ethnographer, and the other with Evan, an American botanist, both of whom are searching for the rare plant yakruna. For every magnificent stretch of forest and river, there are telling signs of destruction, such as a rubber plantation where a mutilated worker begs to be put out of his misery, or a Catholic mission that over the years becomes a decadent fiefdom ruled by a religious quack – an early version of the Kurtz compound in Apocalypse Now.Embrace of the Serpent ( Spanish: El abrazo de la serpiente) is a 2015 Colombian internationally co-produced adventure drama film directed by Ciro Guerra, and written by Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal.
Theodor, who’s suffering from a fatal illness, is especially dependent on the witch doctor’s powers, taking hits of an herbal medicine (that could be some form of cocaine) in order to stay alive.įollowing the dueling voyages as they head further into the heart of Amazonian darkness, Guerra and talented DP David Gallego use pristine widescreen imagery to underline the beauty of a place that’s slowly and sadly headed toward oblivion. See more Cannes: The Red-Carpet Arrivals (Photos)įilled with regret over the loss of his people and unable to fully trust the men he agrees to accompany downriver, Karamakate ultimately proves an invaluable resource to the explorers, both of whom are curious about his culture and willing to go along for the ride without knowing where they’re headed. On both journeys they are guided by the same forlorn native shaman, Karamakate ( Nilbio Torres in ’09, Antonio Bolivar in the ‘40s) – the surviving member of a tribe that was wiped out by years of brutal foreign invasions. Reminiscent of Miguel Gomes’ Tabu in its recreation of colonial events through a richly nostalgic modern prism, the story (written by Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde) was inspired by the journals of two explorers who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century: the German Theodor Koch-Grunbergand the American Richard Evans Schultes, here transformed into the characters Theodor ( Jan Bijvoet from Borgman) and Evan ( Brionne Davis).Ĭutting between 1909 and the 1940s, the parallel narratives chart each man’s voyage down a similar stretch of river as they search for a rare flower, the yakruna, with alleged healing powers. Matthew McConaughey Drama 'The Sea of Trees' Moves to A24 (Exclusive)
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