We could spent a lot of time sharing with you the kudos Ciro Guerra‘s “Embrace of the Serpent” has received so far: the C.I.C.A.E. Award at the Cannes Film Festival, an Indie Spirit Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, a slot at next month’s Sundance Film Festival, not to mention being Colombia’s official entry for the Oscars. Or, you could heed the words of Jessica Kiang in her review from the Croisette: “a work of art, and one of the most singular cinematic experiences you could hope to have.” But if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, then perhaps it’s time to tune in to the new trailer.
READ MORE: Review: ‘Embrace Of The Serpent’ Is A Soulful, Strange, And Stunning Discovery
Starring Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, and Yauenkü Miguee, the film spins two stories that take audiences into the heart of the Amazon, in 1909 and 1940, creating a unique cinematic journey you don’t want to miss.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The ravages of colonialism cast a dark shadow over the South American landscape in “Embrace Of The Serpent,” the first film shot in the Amazonian rainforest in over 30 years. Filmed in stunning black-and-white, the film centers on Karamakate (portrayed in various stages by Nilbio Torres and Antonio Bolívar Salvado), an Amazonian shaman and the last survivor of his people, and the two scientists (Evans and Theo, portrayed by Brionne Davis and Jan Bijvoet) who, over the course of 40 years, build a friendship with him. The film was inspired by the real-life journals of two explorers (Theodor Kock-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes) who traveled through the Colombian Amazon during the last century in search of the sacred and difficult-to-find psychedelic Yakruna plant.
Oscilloscope Laboratories will release the film in New York on Wednesday, February 17th, and in Los Angeles on Friday, February 19th, with a national rollout to follow. Watch below.
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