Embrace of the Serpent

Embrace of the Serpent

Theatrical poster
Directed by Ciro Guerra
Produced by Cristina Gallego
Written by Ciro Guerra
Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
Based on Diaries of Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes
Starring
  • Jan Bijvoet
  • Nilbio Torres
  • Antonio Bolívar
Music by Nascuy Linares
Cinematography David Gallego
Edited by Etienne Boussac
Production
companies
  • Buffalo Films
  • Buffalo Producciones
  • Caracol Televisión
  • Ciudad Lunar Producciones
  • Dago García Producciones
  • MC Producciones
  • Nortesur Producciones
Distributed by Diaphana Films
Release dates
  • 15 May 2015 (2015-05-15) (Cannes)
  • 21 May 2015 (2015-05-21) (Colombia)
Running time
 125 minutes
Country Colombia
Venezuela
Argentina
Language Cubeo
Huitoto
Ticuna
Wanano
Spanish
Portuguese
German
Catalan
Latin
English
Budget $1.4 million[1]
Box office $2.7 million[2]

Embrace of the Serpent (Spanish: El abrazo de la serpiente) is a 2015 Colombian adventure drama film directed by Ciro Guerra. The film won the Art Cinema Award in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival[3][4] and it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.[5]

Plot

The film tells two stories, taking place in 1909 and 1940, both featuring Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his tribe. He travels with two scientists, German Theodor Koch-Grunberg and American Richard Evans Schultes, to look for the rare yakruna, a sacred plant.[6] The film is loosely inspired by the diaries written by the two scientists during their field work in the Amazon.[7]

Cast

Production

Cerro Mono and Cerro Pajarito, which are part of the Mavicure Hills, are an important feature in the film.

Locations

Embrace of the Serpent was filmed in the Amazonía region of Colombia. Seven weeks were spent in the Department of Vaupés, and one week in the Department of Guainía, filming.[8] Location details include:

Crew

  • Ciro Guerra – director, screenwriter
  • Jacques Toulemonde – screenwriter
  • Cristina Gallego – producer
  • David Gallego – cinematographer
  • Angélica Perea  – production designer
  • Catherine Rodriguez – costume designer
  • Andrés Barrientos – acting coach
  • Etienne Boussac  – editor
  • Nascuy Linares – music composer

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album of the movie was released by Plaza Major Company on 22 January 2016 and contains 9 songs composed by Nascuy Linares.[9]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Embrace of the Serpent (Theme)"   1:59
2. "Trance (Trance Aereo)"   1:59
3. "Dantesque Celebration (Fiesta Dantesca)"   2:29
4. "Acoutic River (Tema Brújula)"   3:17
5. "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (End)"   1:41
6. "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Isla y Páramo)"   1:44
7. "Dudamel: Let the Children Play – Sarabande (Based on a Theme by George Frideric Handel)"   2:02
8. "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Arpegios)"   0:50
9. "Dudamel: Let the Children Play (Minor)"   1:44

Reception

Critical response

The film has received universal acclaim from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 99% approval rating, based on 92 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As rich visually as it is thematically, Embrace of the Serpent offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality". On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating, the film has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Indiewire's Jessica Kiang awarded the film an A rating, calling it "a soulful, strange and stunning discovery".[10] She also described the character of Karamakate as "an immaculate portrait of the unfathomable loneliness and crushing survivor's guilt that comes with being the last of one's kind".[10] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a visually mesmerizing exploration of man, nature and the destructive powers of colonialism" and compared it to Miguel Gomes' Tabu (2012). He also praised the black-and-white cinematography and the sound design which he said "makes the jungle truly come alive".[11] Justin Chang of Variety gave a positive review of the film. He wrote: "At once blistering and poetic, not just an ethnographic study but also a striking act of cinematic witness...". About the parallel narrative he wrote it "delivers a fairly comprehensive critique of the destruction of indigenous cultures at the hands of white invaders".[12] Video-essayist Kogonada voted for the film on Sight & Sound magazine's poll for best film of 2015, stating that "Embrace of the Serpent is a mesmerizing feat of cinema. Guerra had me at frame one."[13]

Accolades

The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival[14][15] where it won the Art Cinema Award.[3] The film won the Golden Apricot at the 2015 Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia, for Best Feature Film; the Special Jury Award at the Odessa Film Festival, and the Spondylus Trophy at the Lima Film Festival.

The Governor of the Guainía Department, decorated Ciro Guerra with the Order of the Inrida Flower for "exalting the respect and value of the indigenous populations, likewise giving the Department recognition for tourism and culture".[16]

The film was announced as Colombia's submission for the 2016 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[17] and was selected among the final five contenders, being the first Colombian film to be nominated for the award.

Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
Academy Awards[18] Best Foreign Language Film Nominated
Cannes Film Festival[19] Art Cinema Award Won
Costa Rica International Film Festival[20] Best International Film Won
Best International Film — Public Award Won
Premio Iberoaméricano de Cine Fenix[21] Best Direction Ciro Guerra Won
Best Production Design Angélica Perea Nominated
Best Cinematography David Gallego Won
Best Fiction Featured Film Nominated
Best Music Nascuy Linares Won
Best Sound Editing Carlos García Won
Best Costume Design Catherine Rodriguez Nominated
Hamptons International Film Festival[22] Golden Starfish for Narrative Feature − Honorable Mention Won
Independent Spirit Awards[23] Best International Film Nominated
India International Film Festival[24] Golden Peacock Award Won
Lima Film Festival[25] Best Fiction Featured Film Won
Macondo Awards[26][27] Best Picture Won
Best Director Ciro Guerra Won
Best Screenplay Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Won
Best Original Score Nascuy Linares Won
Best Music Nascuy Linares Won
Best Film Editing Etienne Boussac Won
Best Production Design Angélica Perea Won
Best Cinematography David Gallego Won
Mar del Plata International Film Festival[28] Golden Astor Won
Munich Film Festival Best International Film Nominated
Pacific Meridian International Film Festival Special Jury Award Won
Odessa International Film Festival[29] International Competition Program - Special Jury Mention Won
Rotterdam International Film Festival Dioraphte Award Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival Best Latin-American Film Nominated
Sundance Film Festival[30] Alfred P. Sloan Prize Won
Yerevan International Film Festival[31] Golden Apricot Award Won

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Este es el momento del cine colombiano': Ciro Guerra". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Embrace of the Serpent (2016)". Box Office Mojo.
  3. 1 2 Rebecca Ford (22 May 2015). "Cannes: 'Embrace of the Serpent' Tops Directors' Fortnight Awards". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Quinzaine des Réalisateurs [Quinzaine] (22 May 2015). "Mention to "The Exquisite Corpus de/by Peter Tscherkassky #quinzaine2015" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (14 January 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (February 17, 2016). "Embrace of the Serpent review – dreamlike exploration of the Amazon's imperialist pollution". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Tongue tied: Foreign film Oscar hard to call". BBC News. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. ↑ El Pais S.A. (14 January 2015). "'El abrazo de la serpiente' en la voz de Ciro Guerra". Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "‘Embrace of the Serpent’ Soundtrack Announced". Film Music Reporter. 12 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 Jessica Kiang (17 May 2015). "Cannes Review: 'Embrace Of The Serpent' Is A Soulful, Strange And Stunning Discovery". Indiewire.
  11. ↑ Jordan Mintzer. "'Embrace of the Serpent' ('El abrazo de la serpiente'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ↑ Justin Chang. "Film Review: ‘Embrace of the Serpent’". Variety.
  13. ↑ ":: kogonada | The best films of 2015". Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Directors' Fortnight 2015 selection!". Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Justin Chang (21 April 2015). "Cannes: Directors' Fortnight Unveils 2015 Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Sitio web del Departamento de Guainía". guainia.gov.co. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Mango, Agustin (17 September 2015). "Oscars: Colombia Selects 'Embrace of the Serpent' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". 14 January 2016.
  19. ↑ "2015 Awards". Austin Film Critics Association. 30 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "CRFIC 2015". Costa Rica Festival Internacional de Cine. 2015.
  21. ↑ "Premios Feniz : Ganadores". Cinema23. November 25, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ "HIFF 2015: Awards". Hamptons International Film Festival. October 12, 2015.
  23. ↑ "‘Carol,’ ‘Spotlight,’ ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Lead Spirit Awards Nominations". Film Independent. 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  24. ↑ "BEST FILM" (PDF). International Film Festival of India, GO. 2015.
  25. ↑ "El Festival de Cine de Lima premió a "El abrazo de la serpiente" y homenajeó a Herzog". EFE (in Spanish) (Agencia EFE, S.A.). August 16, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  26. ↑ "'El abrazo de la serpiente' gana 8 premios Macondo". Señal Colombia (in Spanish) (RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos). December 5, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Academia de cine colombiano anuncia nominados a Premios Macondo". El Espectador (in Spanish) (COMUNICAN S.A.). November 23, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Y los ganadores son...". Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar de la Plata. 2015.
  29. ↑ "Awards Winners 2015". Odessa International Film Festival. 2015.
  30. ↑ "Sundance: The Birth of a Nation Sweeps Top Prizes". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  31. ↑ "Awards and Juries". YEREVAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. 2015.

External links

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