As a seasoned movie critic who’s spent years navigating the celluloid jungle, I must say that “Transamazonia” left me both awestruck and bewildered – much like the protagonist, Rebecca Byrne, herself. This film is a testament to Pia Marais’ unique storytelling prowess, as she masterfully weaves together threads of faith, identity, and environment in an otherworldly tapestry that unfurls deep within the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
In the movie “Transamazonia,” Rebecca Byrne, the teenager at its center, carries an ethereal, otherworldly feel due to her unique origin story – she miraculously survived a plane crash in the heart of the Amazon jungle as a child and has since made it her home. Known as a miracle child by the media, Rebecca has built a reputation in the rainforest as a faith healer with strong Christian beliefs. However, it’s unclear whether her miraculous abilities are genuine blessings or merely part of her persona, which is skillfully portrayed by Helena Zengel in her captivating, mysterious performance. This central question adds depth to the many other ambiguities found in Pia Marais’s thought-provoking eco-parable, where both religious missionary work and deforestation for industry threaten Indigenous identity.
In the main competition of Locarno and soon to be screened at the New York Film Festival, Marais’ fourth feature film, “Transamazonia,” showcases her characteristic blend of artistic prowess and introspective storytelling. While her previous work, such as the 2013 film “Layla Fourie,” was rooted in South Africa, her career has been characterized by a broad, global perspective. The postcolonial themes of identity and displacement are central to “Transamazonia,” which strives to avoid stereotyping the lesser-known region of Brazil where it is set, by collaborating with the Assurini people from the Trocará Indigenous Territory of Brazil. Although they are credited as associate producers, there remains a certain vagueness in the film’s character development that impedes our emotional connection, despite maintaining our interest.
Rebecca isn’t by herself in her Amazonian sanctuary. Her American father Lawrence (Jeremy Xido), who rescued her following the crash, seems to have viewed the incident and its location as a kind of divine instruction. He set up his own mission at an abandoned Baptist camp in the jungle, and Rebecca has become the main focus of his sensationalistic evangelical speeches, which are attended by local Indigenous people who think she possesses healing abilities. If she does, Lawrence’s flashy preaching style — with the mission’s temporary decor lit up in garish turquoise — certainly gives off a whiff of deception.
Rebecca, who appears serious and reserved, doesn’t seem to be intentionally involved in any deception, although she may not fully comprehend her abilities either. Zengel, the remarkable young German actress known for her roles in “System Crasher” directed by Nora Fingscheidt and “News of the World” by Paul Greengrass, convincingly portrays a young woman still grappling with the trauma of her past. This struggle is not only due to typical adolescent uncertainties but also because of lingering blind spots skillfully concealed by her father over time. It appears that Rebecca has limited knowledge about her mother and her family’s history, which spans nine years since the accident. However, her life is gradually expanding through friendships she’s cultivated with other Indigenous teenagers, leading to a reevaluation of her own story.
Currently, Rebecca’s alleged magical abilities are crucial to the situation. Rômulo Braga Alves, head of an illicit logging company, is seeking her help for his comatose wife. This task sets up a tense local struggle between the loggers and indigenous tribes whose land is being threatened. If Rebecca can heal his wife, Alves promises to cease operations. This predicament highlights the complex, precarious position of the Byrnes in a community that views them as both outsiders and allies, and it poses the question of whether they are helping or being taken advantage of by a mission that offers them a spiritual remedy.
In “Transamazonia,” the dense, lush rainforest is portrayed as a contested, western-style frontier, where the lawless land is symbolized by the forest, shot by Mathieu de Montgrand in vivid green tones that sometimes darken to black. The Church’s role in this conflict is ambiguous, although Marais’s script, co-written with Willem Drost and Martin Rosefeldt, maintains a neutral stance, observing from afar as the three conflicting parties engage in a dance of tension. The deforesters are easily identified as the adversaries, but the film is cautious in expressing its allegiances, with the Indigenous characters depicted respectfully but not intimately.
In a more experiential sense, “Transamazonia” feels tangible and alluring, brimming with turbulent weather and unrest, resonating with a cacophony of sounds. It stirs the desire to protect this place for those who inhabit it naturally, and reveals why some may become utterly engulfed by it, discarding their traditional compasses, be they geographical or ethical. For D.H. Lawrence, the Amazon provided an opportunity for self-reinvention; for Rebecca, finding her way out could signify a new beginning.
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2024-08-14 23:16