Embrace of the Serpent

I cannot praise this one enough. It's one of those journeys down the Amazon into the "heart of darkness". The film likely has its antecedents in Aguirre:Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo by Wim Wenders and Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola. Filmed in shimmering black and white (except for a short color psychedeliclic sequence near the end)a long, dark journey taken by two white scientists at two different points in time down the serpentine curves of the Amazon reveals the ravages of colonialism and the extreme impact on the native populations by Capitalism gone wild. But the point-of-view is granted to a native shaman, Karamate, a much down-trodden individual who has survived the white mans' devastation and is the last of his tribe. He meets both explorers as a young man in 1909 and as an old man in the late 1940s. The search is for an illusive healing plant, the yakruna. Karamate's character is explored as he reluctantly leads both scientists to the revelations appearing along the tortuous pathway on the dangerous river and through every leaf and branch (it seems) photographed by the expert cinematographer. I could say much more, but I won't. I would encourage those in search of something different to view one of the most unique films produced this year. At this point, it is the only Colombian film nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.