Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Embrace of the Serpent

Play trailer 2:16 Poster for Embrace of the Serpent 2016 2h 3m Adventure History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 147 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the early 1900s, a young shaman in the Colombian Amazon helps a sick German explorer and his local guide search for a rare healing plant.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Embrace of the Serpent

Embrace of the Serpent

What to Know

Critics Consensus

As rich visually as it is thematically, Embrace of the Serpent offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Mallika Khanna Bitch Media 03/15/2021
Crucial for global audiences to see. Go to Full Review
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas The Blue Lenses 08/25/2018
While difficult to identify a single factor that renders the film such a remarkable achievement, at the top of any list would certainly be the central performances by Nilbio Torres and Antonio Bolíva. Go to Full Review
Nigel Andrews Financial Times 12/27/2016
4/5
Embrace of the Serpent is a mystical movie missile from Colombia. It's ballistic, balletic, sometimes brilliant. Go to Full Review
Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema 08/09/2021
3.5/5
An adventure into the heart of darkness that is as prophetic as it is hallucinatory. Go to Full Review
Toussaint Egan Polygon 02/25/2021
A powerful and poetic portrait of the effects of European colonialism and environmental despoilment. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 10/28/2020
...a hallucinogenic Amazonian odyssey... Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Anish T. @teepra Nov 2 An amazing, deep movie. See more Stephen C @bob25009 May 13 2 hours and 3 minutes based on a true story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Benjamin T 08/10/2023 Anyone who likes a decent adventure drama about the Amazon should watch this. I loved the acting, dialogues and how everything unfolded from one moment to another. It was a simple, straight-forward film with a decent plot and direction, unlike the typical BS out there (Barbie, Everything Everywhere All at Once, etc.) See more Kit N 06/23/2023 Phenomenal film from start to finish. Feels classic and refreshingly original at the same time. Impeccable cinematography and visually arresting scenes throughout. Simply a 'must-see' for anyone into cinema at its finest, or indeed, anyone with a universal appreciation for nature in their heart. See more isla s 09/02/2022 This is a somewhat engrossing watch - its slow moving, plot wise and yet there's a definite hypnotic sense to it. Its in black and white and with constant jungle/rainforest noises in the background, the sounds of insects, birds and so on. I liked seeing how the various tribes people communicated with one another - who they trusted and who they didn't. I suppose, to me, it felt like the main theme was isolation, that, false Prophets and self reflection. I suppose, in a sense, it makes us think about how we deal with or view outsiders perhaps? certainly the sense of being a fish out of water is present in this film. There's also definitely a philosophical edge to it, with some interesting, reflective type dialogue present. I thought it looked, visually, quite artistic, mystical even, with it being in black and white and I suppose that also gives it a timeless feel (Giving the setting of the film, its inevitably hard to tell when it was set). There is an unsettling, creepy feel to it at times too, with chanting heard in the distance - I wished for a little more visibility, colour to appear at such times. Its definitely a mysterious film in some such ways. See more 01/13/2022 A unique and astonishing film that has to be seen. See more Read all reviews
Embrace of the Serpent

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Pilgrimage 68% 48% Pilgrimage Watchlist TRAILER for Pilgrimage Assassination 83% 84% Assassination Watchlist TRAILER for Assassination Togo 93% 95% Togo Watchlist River Queen % 46% River Queen Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In the early 1900s, a young shaman in the Colombian Amazon helps a sick German explorer and his local guide search for a rare healing plant.
Director
Ciro Guerra
Producer
Cristina Gallego
Screenwriter
Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co
Buffalo Film Co., Caracol Televisión
Genre
Adventure, History, Drama
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 17, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.3M
Runtime
2h 3m
Most Popular at Home Now