Incredible to look at movie that takes you to another world and has the kind of authenticity cinema rarely achieves. Main character Aapo hops on a motorbike and heads into the Yucatán jungle after being enticed by the alluring charms of a sensual Mayan woman who approaches him at his mother's pet shop. The woman has come looking for special toads which secrete a hallucinogen sought after by hipster, faux backpacker types out to expand their spiritual horizons. As Aapo is a novice toad handler the captivating woman hires him to come to a retreat in the jungle overseen by a New Age shaman charlatan who it turns out is running a scam to get land cheap for redevelopment from the indigenous people living in the village. A feeling of menace slowly builds... The movie is masterfully done.
Wetiko
(2022)
Intimate film that deals with big themes and pulls it off flawlessly.
16 February 2023