EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT 3rd February 2017

Pics and Flicks has chosen an award-winning Colombian film to begin our 17th year of great films at Gerringong Town Hall.

Embrace of The Serpent

Inspired by the real-life journals of Theodor Koch-Grunberg (portrayed by Jan Bijvoet) and Richard Evans Schultes (Brionne Davis), the film charts each man’s treacherous and life-changing journey. Though decades apart, both are guided through the labyrinthine rivers and jungles by the same native shaman, Karamakate (Nilbio Torres, and later Antonio Bolivar Salvado Yangiama), the last surviving member of his tribe, who takes them deeper and deeper into a heart of darkness.
Recalling such visionary films as Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man and Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT grips with suspense and revelation as it meditates on both the beauty of nature and the devastating impact of colonial interference on native culture. The spectacular widescreen black and white cinematography and evocative sound design combine to depict the landscapes and characters with an hypnotic, mythical sense of wonder.
At once blistering and poetic, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is truly a one-of-a-kind accomplishment with a power described by several critics as ‘Kubrickian’. It demands to be experienced on the big-screen.

El abrazo de la serpiente
Director: Ciro Guerra
Cast: Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolivar Salvado Yangiama, Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis
Duration: 124 mins
Country of Origin: Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina
Mature themes and violence

★★★★1/2
“Something magical. One of the most beautiful films in a long time. Guerra directs the film with great clarity. The river sequences are simply awesome, in the beauty and power of the settings, and in David Gallego’s majestic cinematography. It is a lament for what has been lost in the Amazon, and an eye-opener for what is still there. A major achievement.”
Paul Byrnes, SMH/THE AGE

And don't forget our survey
We want to know which movies you enjoyed during 2016, which you didn't like as much, and what you would be interested in seeing. 


Survey closes Tuesday 31 January 2017.

Click or tap on this link and rank each film that you saw.  There is also space  to add extra comments too, which we'd really appreciate.

Thanks for your time and support of Gerringong Pics and Flicks.

Pics and Flicks films in 2016 - survey