Embrace of the Serpent (2016)

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Lack of good storyline.

good back-story, and good acting

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

What a wonderful film. 2 hours of discovery in the Amazon jungle. Beautifully shot in black and white. Minimal and stark. Contemplative and terrifying. Mesmerising.

(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.

Set in the early to mid-twentieth century in the Colombian Amazon, a shaman, who is the lone survivor of his tribe after it has been wiped out by the white man, guides two explorers on expeditions, forty years apart. Both white scientists seek a sacred plant with healing powers, both for different reasons.I first have to say that I saw this film with English subtitles that were, shall we say, a little uneven. I should have known I was in for an interesting ride when the English translation of the movie title came up as 'Hug a Snake'! So, I am pretty sure that several things must have been lost in such a translation. This is certainly a contemplative look at the effects of colonialism on the indigenous South American people of the Amazon. It does so it an admittedly very subtle manner, although we do see some of the effects that the rubber plantations and the spread of Catholicism had on the people of the area.If I'm being totally honest I did not fully connect with this film and I'm not sure it's all to do with the ropey English translation in the version I watched. I think it was more that its ideas of the spirit world and nature just didn't interest me very much. It is nevertheless quite obviously an impressive production on some ways though. The authentic use of indigenous dialect was something to be commended, while the black and white cinematography was good. Ultimately, the content wasn't really my cup of tea but I can still see some value in it.

! Great movie, with very good performances,beautiful scenery, very well done!Without being an expert or a bold critic connoisseur film world and beyond being a simple,moviegoer common, I consider my humble opinion,the film is overrated, the use of white and black played down majesty to such loftylandscapes and still believing that he lacked "something" to the movie,I can say that it is very interesting to show vestiges of our ancient history, giving lessons to our Current and Modern society ...