Embrace of the Serpent
Embrace of the Serpent | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ciro Guerra |
Written by | Ciro Guerra Jacques Toulemonde Vidal |
Based on | Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes (diaries) |
Produced by | Cristina Gallego |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | David Gallego |
Edited by | Etienne Boussac |
Music by | Nascuy Linares |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Diaphana Films |
Release dates |
|
Budget | $1.4 million[2] |
Box office | $3.4 million[3] |
Embrace of the Serpent (
Embrace of the Serpent was premiered on 15 May 2015 during the
Plot
The film tells two stories thirty years apart, both featuring Karamakate, an Amazonian
Theo, an ethnographer from Tübingen who has already been residing in the Amazon for several years, is very sick and is travelling by canoe with his field notes and a westernised local named Manduca whom he had saved from enslavement on a rubber plantation. Karamakate prolongs his life, blasting white powder called "the sun's semen" (possibly a hallucinogenic made from virola[5]) up his nose, but is reluctant to become involved with a westerner and refuses his money. Theo is searching for yakruna as the only cure for his disease and the three set off in the canoe to search for it.
Thirty years later an American botanist, Evan, paddles up to a much older Karamakate who has apparently forgotten the customs of his own people. Evan says he is hoping to complete Theo's quest and Karamakate does assist, again reluctantly, saying his knowledge is spent. Evan has a book of Theo's final trek, which his aide had sent back to Europe, as he did not survive the jungle. The book includes an image of Karamakate, which he refers to as his
Both expeditions feature a Spanish Catholic Mission by the side of an Amazon tributary, run in 1909 by a
In 1909, we are left with Theo, sick and having fled the Mission, arriving at a frontier post just about to be invaded by Colombian soldiers during the
Cast
In
The cast are as follows:
- Nilbio Torres as Young Karamakate
- Antonio Bolívar as Old Karamakate
- Jan Bijvoet as Theo
- Brionne Davis as Evan
- Luigi Sciamanna as Gaspar
- Yauenkü Migue as Manduca
- Nicolás Cancino as Anizetto
Themes
The film explores the representation of the first people nations of the Amazon. In the film multiple languages are spoken:
Production
Before production started, the director spent two and a half years researching the Colombian Amazon. They discovered a part of the jungle in the north west that had not yet been heavily affected by tourism or commerce and after gaining permission from the local community, they decided on the location.[10] The pre-production and shooting took place over the course of three months with the help of around 40 people from outside the Amazon and 60 people from indigenous communities within the Amazon. The director extensively collaborated with the community and invited them to participate and collaborate both in front and behind the camera. To avoid any problems caused by the harsh environment, the indigenous people taught the crew how to work with the jungle and performed rituals for spiritual protection. There were no accidents or illnesses and the shooting ran smoothly.[11] Additionally, to improve accuracy, indigenous individuals worked with Guerra to translate and rewrite parts of the script.[9]
Embrace of the Serpent was filmed in the Amazonía region of Colombia. Seven weeks were spent filming in the Department of Vaupés, and one week in the Department of Guainía.[12] Location details include:
- Cerros de Mavicure – three mounds that form part of the westernmost part of the Guiana Shield in northern South America.
- Fluvial Star Inírida – a Ramsar Wetland that includes part of the Inírida River.
- Vaupés River – tributary of the Amazon River that forms part of the international border between Colombia and Brazil.
Crew
- Ciro Guerra – director, screenwriter
- Jacques Toulemonde – screenwriter
- Cristina Gallego – producer
- David Gallego – cinematographer
- Carlos E. García – sound designer, re-recording mixer, additional music composer
- Angélica Perea – production designer
- Catherine Rodriguez – costume designer
- Andrés Barrientos – acting coach
- Etienne Boussac – editor
- Nascuy Linares – music composer
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album of the movie was released by Plaza Major Company on 22 January 2016 and contains nine songs composed by Nascuy Linares.[13] The film also features The Creation by Joseph Haydn and the participation of Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Embrace of the Serpent (Theme)" | 1:59 |
2. | "Trance (Trance Aereo)" | 1:59 |
3. | "Dantesque Celebration (Fiesta Dantesca)" | 2:29 |
4. | "Acoutic River (Tema Brújula)" | 3:17 |
5. | "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (End)" | 1:41 |
6. | "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Isla y Páramo)" | 1:44 |
7. | "Dudamel: Let the Children Play – Sarabande (Based on a Theme by George Frideric Handel)" | 2:02 |
8. | "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Arpegios)" | 0:50 |
9. | "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Minor)" | 1:44 |
Reception
Critical response
The film has received universal acclaim from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 96% approval rating, based on 145 reviews, with an average score of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As rich visually as it is thematically, Embrace of the Serpent offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality".[14] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating, the film has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]
Response from the indigenous community
The film was well received by the Amazonian community featured in the film. A special screening was held in the jungles of Colombia, in a makeshift cinema. With tribal people from all over the area showing up, not everyone could be seated. After the film finished, they asked for it to be shown again. Although the film was celebrated, director Ciro Guerra did stress that the film should not be used as an attempt to share traditional knowledge of the tribes, as what you see in the film "is an imagined Amazon because the real Amazon doesn't fit in one film".[21]
Accolades
The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival[22] where it won the Art Cinema Award.[23] The film won the Golden Apricot at the 2015 Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia, for Best Feature Film; the Special Jury Award at the Odesa Film Festival, and the Spondylus Trophy at the Lima Film Festival.
The Governor of the Guainía Department decorated Ciro Guerra with the Order of the Inírida Flower for "exalting the respect and value of the indigenous populations, likewise giving the Department recognition for tourism and culture".[24]
The film was announced as Colombia's
Top ten lists
In
Some other top ten lists in which Embrace of the Serpent was listed are:[44]
- 1st – J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
- 2nd – Lincoln Journal Star
- 2nd – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
- 3rd – Little White Lies
- 4th – Stephen Holden, The New York Times
- 4th – The Irish Times
- 7th – Time Out London
- 8th – Brian Formo, Collider
- 10th – Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com
See also
- List of submissions to the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Colombian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of films featuring hallucinogens
References
- ^ "En mayo, cosecha de estrenos colombianos en la pantalla grande". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 8 May 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "'Este es el momento del cine colombiano': Ciro Guerra". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ "Embrace of the Serpent (2016)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ Hoffman, Jordan (17 February 2016). "Embrace of the Serpent review – dreamlike exploration of the Amazon's imperialist pollution". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-40421-141-4.
- Cineaste. Vol. 41, no. 2. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
- ^ Zuluaga, Pedro Adrián; Munoz, Gabriella (December 2018). "Contemporary Colombian cinema: the splintered mirror of a country". Senses of Cinema (89). Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Embrace of the Serpent: Reframing the Colombian Amazon". NACLA. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ a b Berghahn, Daniela (Winter 2017). "Encounters with Cultural Difference: Cosmopolitanism and Exoticism in Tanna (Martin Butler and Bentley Dean, 2015) and Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra, 2015)" (PDF). Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media (14): 16–40.
- ^ Woodward, Adam (8 June 2016). "Tropical malady – making a film in the heart of darkness". Little White Lies. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Salas, Camilo (8 January 2016). "'Embrace of the Serpent' Is a Violent, Psychedelic, Film About the Colonisation of the Amazon". Vice. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Ramos, Nick (9 May 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Embrace of the Serpent Star on Making Film". MoreMentum. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "'Embrace of the Serpent' Soundtrack Announced". Film Music Reporter. 12 January 2016.
- ^ "Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo de la Serpiente)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Embrace of the Serpent". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Kiang, Jessica (17 May 2015). "Cannes Review: 'Embrace Of The Serpent' Is A Soulful, Strange And Stunning Discovery". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Mintzer, Jordan (15 May 2015). "'Embrace of the Serpent' ('El abrazo de la serpiente'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Chang, Justin (2 June 2015). "Film Review: 'Embrace of the Serpent'". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Lawrence, Will (July 2016). "Review: Embrace of the Serpent". Empire. p. 52.
- Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ Mathiesen, Karl (8 June 2016). "Embrace of the Serpent star: 'My tribe is nearly extinct'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ Chang, Justin (21 April 2015). "Cannes: Directors' Fortnight Unveils 2015 Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (22 May 2015). "Cannes: 'Embrace of the Serpent' Tops Directors' Fortnight Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ "Sitio web del Departamento de Guainía". guainia.gov.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Mango, Agustin (17 September 2015). "Oscars: Colombia Selects 'Embrace of the Serpent' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (14 January 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". 14 January 2016.
- ^ "The 2017 AFCA Awards". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ "2015 Awards". Austin Film Critics Association. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "HIFF 2015: Awards". Hamptons International Film Festival. 12 October 2015.
- ^ "'Carol,' 'Spotlight,' 'Beasts of No Nation' Lead Spirit Awards Nominations". Film Independent. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "BEST FILM" (PDF). International Film Festival of India, GO. 2015.
- ^ "El Festival de Cine de Lima premió a "El abrazo de la serpiente" y homenajeó a Herzog". EFE (in Spanish). Agencia EFE, S.A. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Y los ganadores son..." Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar de la Plata. 2015.
- ^ "Awards Winners 2015". Odesa International Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Sundance: The Birth of a Nation Sweeps Top Prizes". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ "Awards and Juries". YEREVAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Riviera International Film Festival". Vogue Italia. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Kermode, Mark (4 December 2016). "Mark Kermode: best films of 2016". The Observer. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Best-Reviewed Foreign Language Movies 2016". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Top 100 Movies of 2016". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ Schager, Nick (30 November 2016). "The 25 Best Movies of 2016 (So Far)". Esquire.
- ^ "The best films of 2016". British Film Institute. 2 December 2016.
- ^ Dietz, Jason (5 December 2016). "Best of 2016: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
External links
- Embrace of the Serpent at IMDb
- Embrace of the Serpent at AllMovie
- Embrace of the Serpent at Science & Film
- Embrace of the Serpent – Cohiuano warriors on YouTube