SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

max-seitz-1990 El Abrazo de la Serpiente is a thoughtful drama of two adventurers and their search for how to connect with the spiritual world of the Amazon rainforest. The movie implies notions of magical realism the convey an otherworldly feeling about the setting and how the people perceive their surroundings. Although the decision to film in black-and-white might put off some viewers at first, the movie's cinematography doesn't lack impressive exterior shots and draws the viewer's attention more towards the characters. In the end, El Abrazo de le Serpiente becomes an inherent progressive - if not overtly positive - view on tradition and cultural heritage, and is thus thematically much richer, than first the eye.Overall 8/10 Full review on movie-discourse.blogspot.de

Red-Barracuda 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.

beardondillon-64378 Embrace Of The Serpent is a film about an amazonian shaman played by Nilbio Torres and two scientist looking for a plant that could supposedly heal people and they have to work with the shaman to try and find it.lets get this out of the way first, this movie is so gorgeously shot, there is this one tracking shot that transitions the two scientist together and it stunning. it was also so well acted, i actually did not see actors, i saw real men talking to each other and real men arguing and i forgot i was watching a movie, the best performance in this film was the older shaman played excellently by Antonio Bolivar.this movie has a non linear story line and i got so involved with these characters and the world they are in witch made this film perfect for me.A+

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