Film · 2015

Embrace of the serpent

Name: Embrace of the serpent
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Adventure
Released: 2016-02-12
Duration: 125 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: Jan Bijvoet, Nilbio Torres, Luigi Sciamanna, Antonio Bolívar, Brionne Davis

Original titleEl abrazo de la serpiente

Directed by Ciro Guerra · starring Jan Bijvoet, Nilbio Torres and Luigi Sciamanna

2 h 5 min
15
Drama · Mystery · Adventure
Colombia Venezuela
Released in the UK 9 June 2016

7.5 AverageMovieNCo
6.6 Users5 votes
8.3 Critics3 reviews

Watch trailer Where to watch · from £2.49 Rate it

Synopsis

Karamakate is one of the last survivors of their village and decides to live completely alone in the jungle deep. He stays a long time isolated and he has become a person without emotions and memories. But his solitary life changes when he meets Evan, an american scientist who seeks a powerful and unknown plant able to teach to dream. Karamakate decides to collaborate with Evan in his search and together begin a journey through the depths of the jungle. But the journey is much more than that: Karamakate begins to recover his forgotten memories. The film 'Embrace of the serpent' is inspired by the diaries of Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evan Schultes, two explorers who traveled to the colombian amazon.

Where to watch Embrace of the serpent

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Available now in the UK:

The essentials

Runtime: 125 min2 hours and 5 minutes
Rating: 15Suitable only for 15 years and over

How long is Embrace of the serpent?: 2 hours and 5 minutes (125 minutes).
When was Embrace of the serpent released in the UK?: It was released in the UK on 9 June 2016.
Who directed Embrace of the serpent?: Ciro Guerra.
Who is in Embrace of the serpent?: It stars Jan Bijvoet, Nilbio Torres, Luigi Sciamanna and Antonio Bolívar.
Where can I watch Embrace of the serpent?: In the UK it is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.

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Cast

Full cast (9)

Director: Ciro Guerra
Writers: Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
Producers: Cristina Gallego

Videos and trailers

See the video

'Embrace of the serpent' trailer 2:263 December 2015

Photos and posters

All 8 photos

+4 photosand 3 posters

Reviews

All 3 reviews

6.6 5 votes

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What the critics say average 8.3 from 3 outlets

10 The PlaylistJessica Kiang It's an absorbing, even thrilling head trip. It is a Heart-of-Darkness voyage of discovery. It is a lament for all the lost plants and peoples of the world. Read
8.0 The Hollywood ReporterJordan Mintzer If the film runs a tad too long, especially in its second half, Embrace of the Serpent is still an absorbing account of indigenous tribes facing up to colonial incursions, revealing how Westerners… Read
7.0 VarietyJustin Chang '[FILM]' offers a stately, striking panorama and an entirely persuasive one. Read

Awards

All the awards

Academy Awards (Oscars) 2016 1 nomination

Soundtrack

All 13 songs

Dudamel: Let the Children Play - SarabandeBased on a Theme, George Frideric Handel Spotify
La Creaciónla Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín, Interpretada Spotify
LlamadoCarlos Gustavo Fernández, aka Carlos Gustavo Fernández Ostor, Juan Felipe Pardo Spotify
BuynaymaMucho Indio, Interpretada

Trivia

First Colombian film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Based on diaries by scientists Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evan Schultes.
Despite setbacks shooting could be achieved in the time
One of the most difficult aspects to represent in the film was the costumes for the actors, not so much for its design and research that led especially around parts such as indigenous guayucos.
In this arduous task the art department with the collaboration of women of different ethnicities, who for weeks put aside his work as farmers to lend their hands to sewing and washing.