‘Embrace of the Serpent’ paints Amazon in shades of gray
“Embrace of the Serpent” may be filmed in black and white, but don’t mistake that for simplicity.
The meat of the story is complicated and dark, and lies in the contrasts filmmakers draw, telling one big story through two winding journeys.
The first begins when German scientist Theo (Jan Bijvoet) and his companion Manduca (Yauenkü Migue) enlist lone amazonian native Karamakate (the younger version, played byNilbio Torres) on a journey to find yakruna, a plant they believe could save Theo’s life.
The three are unlikely companions. Manduca, whose back is still freshly scarred from the whips and chains of his time as a slave to white rubber barons, is technically indebted to Theo. Karamakate, skeptical given that his tribe was almost eradicated by white settlers, expresses his distaste with helping white man Theo.
“You submitted to the whites without a fight,” he tells Manduca in disgust, barely addressing Theo — understandably, so.
Fast forward another couple decades, and in comes another white man — this time, american Evan (Brionne Davis). He, too, wants Karamakate’s help (Antonio Bolivar).
Karamakate is still disdainful towards white men, but this time, it’s a bit more tempered, so when the american comes in asking to learn about plants, Karamakate chuckles before replying “That’s the most reasonable thing I heard a white say.”
But don’t be fooled: the story is about more than just race — though an entire movie told through this lens would already be a satisfying switch from the white man version of history. Instead, director Ciro Guerra also casts harsh light and dark shadows on all facets of colonialism.
For example, the film takes on religion through two trips to a mission right off the river. In the first visit, it’s filled with children and run by a catholic monk with an iron whip. But when Karamakate and the american end up there years later, it’s a cult-like compound. These scenes — tragic, shocking, and gruesome — are even deeper and darker than the blackness that takes over the screen when they’re over.
The film is full of moments like those, vignettes that complicate choices into more than just black or white. Is it wrong to introduce a compass to a tribe fascinated with its new age navigation, or is it wrong to keep this knowledge away from them? If a man is being tortured, should you leave him in hope that he can find a way to escape, or should you finish the job of the men who maimed him? Sprinkled among these are strong symbols: a sinking boat, brought down by the weight of the white man’s world, and a man who can’t even identify his own likeness in a picture.
“Embrace of the Serpent” is long, but it earns every one of its 125 minutes. It’s full of unique perspective — in the story, yes, and also in the literal point of view of the camera, with characters blowing smoke and pointing knives directly at the audience. It’s refreshing — finally, white men are depicted as interchangeable, while indigenous characters are given complex backstories, development, and more of the screen. And, it manages to capture the beauty of the Amazon and the tragedy of its development in innumerable shades of black, white, and gray.
The film’s stunning cinematography and unique structure earns the right to take on colonialism on its own terms: through the experiences of the complicated Karamakate. It’s subtle, but the change creates a story that, much like the river where it takes place, is powerful, winding, deep, and worth seeing.
