Embrace of the Serpent
2015 · Movie · Not Rated · 125 min · ★ 7.7 · 89% critics
Across 40 years in the Amazon, an Amazonian shaman guides two scientists on separate expeditions to find a sacred healing plant, drawing them into first contact, cultural collision, betrayal, and a life-changing friendship. Inspired by explorer journals, the story moves through time as the jungle’s world and outside motives clash.
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Details
- Original title
- El abrazo de la serpiente
- Years
- 2015
- Release date
- 2015-05-25
- Language
- Spanish
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 89/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.7/10 (509 votes)
- Budget
- $1,500,000
About
Choose it if you’re drawn to spiritual, contemplative tales of Amazon exploration and cultural collision with striking black-and-white visuals; Not for you if you want fast, plot-driven thrills or easy-to-bond characters, similar in mood to Samsara or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Pros: stunning black-and-white landscapes; deep cultural themes; memorable performances | Cons: slow in parts; can feel tough to connect with; story pace uneven
Themes
- indigenous
- religious conversion
- amazon rainforest
- based on true story
- spirituality
- colonisation
- religious fundamentalism
- nature
- colonialism
- thoughtful
- amazon tribe
- indigenous peoples
- +3 more
Awards & recognition
- Alfred P. Sloan Prize · 2016
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 2016 · nominated
- IFFR audience award · 2016 · nominated
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 2016 · nominated
Cast & crew
Nilbio Torres
as Karamakate (Young)
Antonio Bolívar
as Karamakate (Old)
Jan Bijvoet
as Theodor Koch-Grunberg
Brionne Davis
as Richard Evans Schultes
- YM
Yauenkü Miguee
as Manduca
Luigi Sciamanna
as The Missionary
- NC
Nicolás Cancino
as The Messiah
- PM
Pediwake Daniel Martínez
as Santiago
- JS
José Sabogal
as The Rubber Trapper
Directed by Ciro Guerra