Embrace of the Serpent

2016 "A poetic and haunting journey into a lost world."
7.8| 2h5m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 17 February 2016 Released
Producted By: Caracol Televisión
Country: Venezuela
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://embraceoftheserpent.oscilloscope.net/
Info

The epic story of the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and, eventually, life-transcending friendship, between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman, last survivor of his people, and two scientists that, over the course of 40 years, travel through the Amazon in search of a sacred plant that can heal them. Inspired by the journals of the first explorers of the Colombian Amazon, Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes.

Genre

Adventure, Drama

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Embrace of the Serpent (2016) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Ciro Guerra

Production Companies

Caracol Televisión

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Embrace of the Serpent Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Ian (Flash Review)Not just relating to the Amazon River but the introspection of depth that the man seeking a rare healing plant must dive into in order to find it. That is the core story line but there is much more to it and open to one's personal perspectives. The film is shot in rich black and white and has two timelines. Two white men, 40 years apart or so locate the same native who knows where to find the plant. So you get the see the native as a young buck and a wise old man. The two timelines allow the viewer to see the effect of some modern cultures that have slipped into their primitive world over time. Yet another story nugget is more spiritual. Both searches (old and new) are on long journeys through the jungle and as they search the native encourages the white man to help locate the plant by looking into his soul and feel for it and ask the jungle for help. Pretty interesting film with great cinematography, authentic cultural scenes and some very surreal moments yet some may find the pace a bit sluggish.
robinnboe The way I saw it was, that Caapi (Ayahuasca) was calling the 2 white scientists via the spirits into the jungle, first with Theodor Koch- Grunberg, you can tell this when Karamakate has visions of the jaguar, telling him he must protect Theo after drinking Caapi, Karamakate realises that he must share the ancient healing brew with the white man before it is lost forever, but the anger he has for the white man is too strong and he ends up burning what he thinks is the last Yakruna. Somehow even after dying in the jungle Theo's diary's manage to make it back to the white man via Theo's guider companion Manduca, in the other half of the film many years on Richard Evans Schultes enters the rainforest met by an older wiser but inevitably lost Karamakate, he has lost all memory of his traditions and the art of making Caapi, Karamakate is chullachaqui an empty person unable to speak with nature any more or dream,Richard manages to find the location of Karuna through Karamakate's drawings on the rocks from years ago, Richard guides them to the plant with his compass, there in the mountains they find one last Yakruna flower, Karamakate saying ''you have to come one with it, it's our last hope'', Richard's white man ego still manifesting in the form of saying they need the rubber, Now I think he makes Richard drink it instead of saving the plant, because it's not the plant that will save humankind but the human soul itself. putting the emphasis on the teachings and the way of life than just the brew itself. I see this film as very prophetic, maybe the single most important juncture of human history as it all hangs on the balance of these Amazonian teaching's of Biophilia and the Transcendental ''spirit'' realm as our guiding force reaching the white man and dissolving our ego's to inevitably save it all from apocalypse. This In my opinion is the most powerful film ''as in the message'' ever made.
Lukas Meister This review may contain minor spoilersHow does one review a movie like Embrace of the Serpent? I don't know. I guess the journey is the reward. It is all about how you get there and how you feel when it is over. This film is so rich in meaning as well as symbolism and has so much great dialogue that this mysterious "THERE" can , and should , turn into more than the destination of the physical journey. What makes the story so intriguing is the fact that the shaman Karamatake is helping two white scientists who try to reach the same thing, just at a different time. This is such a great way to learn about his character and how imperialism and colonialism changed him and his world through the years. We can see how different he thinks and feels while still being suspicious of the white people and their goals, even though he is already a broken man in his older years. I don't want to spoil so i try not to analyze or interpret too much in this review , but i cant stress enough what a fantastic character Karamatake is. He is such a rich representation of these "forgotten people" and their values, their pride but also of their tragedy. A single man facing the inevitable progression of history.That being said, i also have to talk about the visual aspect of this movie. Ciro Guerra and David Gallego have created one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. The black-and-white Cinematography is providing the film with a strong sense of realism, even though the journey as a whole feels like a dreamlike exploration which reminded me of Apocalypse Now and The "Heart of Darkness". The difference is that EotS is dealing with the negative mixture of culture ( "the worst of two worlds"). I think black-and-white was the perfect choice for Embrace of the Serpent, because it conveys the absence of time ( which is briefly mentioned ) and the unimportance of surroundings. What the viewer and the characters should instead be focusing on is themselves: their mind and consciousness. There is one great scene near the end which serves as a partial conclusion to that. The opulent use of symbolism leaves room for our interpretation, but mentioning even one of them would be a massive spoiler. Over the course of their trip our characters visit some interesting places , carefully portrayed in order to manifest just how much has changed. The criticism Ciro Guerra expresses is very subtle at times and you might not even notice it the first time around which is why i recommend a second viewing, although i can understand why some might find it unpleasant. That leads me to my one and only strong point of criticism : The movie is a bit too long. The first half is very well paced , but Karamatakes and Evans stay at the mission seems a bit exaggerated to me. That should not prevent anyone from watching this film. Embrace of the Serpent is quite the experience. A wonderful, but tragic and unique look at the Amazonian tribes from the inside. A dreamlike, almost psychedelic journey where its not only about finding the Yakruna , but finding yourself. In a way Karamatake was way ahead of us.. So Allow us to remember how to dream , before we make our journey on this river, the serpent that swallows us all
Hellmant 'EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT': Four Stars (Out of Five) The critically acclaimed Colombian historical drama flick; about the relationships between an Amazonian shaman (who's the last survivor of his people) and two different scientists (in the 1909 and 1940 Amazon). The film is based on the diaries of the two scientists, it depicts in the movie (Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes). It was directed by acclaimed Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra, and it was written by Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal. The film has a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (at the 2016 Academy Awards). I enjoyed it as well.Karamakate (played by Nilbio Torres and Antonio Bolivar, at different ages) is the last surviving member of his people. He lives in the Amazon, and protects it from intruders. In 1909 he's greeted by a German scientist, named Theo (Jan Bijvoet), who's looking for a sacred plant called yakruna. Karamakate reluctantly helps him. 40-years later he's approached by an American scientist, named Evan (Brionne Davis), who's looking for the same thing.The film was beautifully shot in the Amazonia region of Columbia, and it's gloriously presented in black-and-white visuals. It's both visually stunning to watch, and bizarrely strange to experience. The movie has a really classic feel to it, and the subject matter is involving (and quite disturbing) at times. I didn't really care for all of the performances in it though; it was made on a budget of just $1.4 million, and sometimes that shows (especially with the acting). Still, it is a very fascinating (and extremely weird) movie!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/lcZBQp0HBZg