15 Most Critically Adored Films 2016 - Ranked

15. Embrace Of The Serpent

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98% (128 reviews)

A searing critique of the devastating impact of Western colonialism on unspoilt lands and indigenous cultures, Colombian director Ciro Guerra’s Embrace of the Serpent was released to a shower of almost universal critical acclaim and went on to win the much-coveted Directors’ Fortnight Art Cinema Award at Cannes.

Set in the Colombian Amazon, the film follows two different narratives in two different time periods led by the same character – native shaman Karamakate, the sole survivor of his otherwise extinct tribe, as he guides two Westerners on expeditions deep into the rainforest to find a rare and sacred plant.

Non-professional actors and native Amazonians Nilbio Torres and Antonio Bolivar (who funnily enough is one of the last few remaining members of his own tribe, the Ocaína) give raw and haunting performances as Karamakate, while its stark black and white cinematography perfectly captures the harsh beauty of the Amazon Rainforest.