During the first few shots after starting this movie I already got a sense that I was about to watch something special. The high contrast black/white imagery of the Amazonian jungle makes it look different. Not the humid, pressuring green which normally stands out, but a neutral environment the main character moves through. An area of the world which hasn’t been colored in yet, still has lots of things hidden, waiting to be discovered. It is 1900 and the German explorer Theo (Jan Bijvoet) is crossing the jungle together with his guide Manduca. He has fallen ill and only shaman Karamakate is the single person who can save him. Karamakate doesn’t trust Theo though as he is the shaman is the last of his people. The rest was murdered by white discoverers like Theo. Nevertheless, a fragile bond forms between them and they travel down the river, trying to find a rare plant. Continue reading →