Tradition clashes with western commerce as the indigenous Wayuu peoples of northern Colombia cash in on lucrative drug trafficking with American dealers.
A chance encounter results in Rapayet (a fine debut from José Acosta) identifying the growing and supply of marijuana as a profitable business. It’s pre-Cartel Colombia of the early 1980s. The tradition of the Wayuu is to look to the interpretation of dreams and listen to the spirits: but the younger generation want more than tradition.
As the tension between the old and new worlds increases and Rapayet looks for dominance over his more traditional mother-in-law (a most assuredly indomitable Carmiña Martínez), so family struggles to control the business lead to the inevitable destruction of culture and lives.
Directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra assuredly capture a narrative that is both meaningful and accessible.
Rating: 72%
Director: Cristina Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent, The Wind Journeys), Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent, The Wind Journeys)
Writer: Maria Camila Arias (Candelaria), Jacques Toulemonde Vidal (Embrace of the Serpent, Anna)
Main cast: José Acosta, Carmiña Martínez (La captura, Hábitos sucios), Natalia Reyes (Pickpockets, Chess)
As mentioned in an earlier post, 2016 was not awash, in my opinion, with great films. Lots of good ones, a few that didn’t quite live up to expectations or some abject failures. Hence my top 10 for the year is noticeable by its lack of US ‘studio’ films and dominated by European ‘sensibility’. There’s little room for last year’s big critical darlings – only Spotlight making the cut from the Oscar nominated best films. No The Revenant or The Big Short (the latter sitting just outside the top 10).
Intense, challenging, absorbing and shot in black and white: Embrace of the Serpent is no easy ride.
An Opinion or Two 