This hypnotic film by two Brazilian directors takes us on a journey—both geographically and mentally. The Yanomami people, living in the remote Amazon jungle, are fighting a desperate battle against the encroachment of white civilization. Specifically, they face bands of gold prospectors who ravage the delicate ecosystem, poison rivers with mercury used in ore extraction, and murder locals with impunity. Unseen by the authorities, the Yanomami are left to fend for themselves. Their shamans turn to the forces of nature for aid, performing ecstatic rituals with the hallucinogenic yakoana to commune with the gods. Through the camera, they directly plead for our help in resisting the traders of civilization, whose only god is profit. 

Konrad Wirkowski