Both the old and young Karamakates are portrayed by indigenous men, neither of them professional actors. The old shaman is played by Antonio Bolivar Salvador.

If you think we are going to gain ground by holding the American people hostage, saying that their taxes are at risk, I actually disagree.

The two explorers are given fictional names. But as in real life, they travel to the Amazon roughly a generation apart, in the early-to-mid 20th century. In the film, they're both guided by Karamakate, as a young man early in the story and later as an old shaman. He and the outsiders share a desire for knowledge - self knowledge and an understanding of the world around them, says the film's co-screenwriter, Jacques Toulemonde.

I think we've had two presidents in a row that tried to unite the American people and both of them failed, quite frankly. And I think Donald Trump has decided he's going to get things done. That's going to be his measuring rod.

So "Embrace Of The Serpent" is told from the points of view and in the languages of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. He [Guerra] went there before shooting began, with a script written mostly in Spanish.

The loss of the culture is one of the main reasons Ciro Guerra wanted to tell their story.

I admire Grover Norquist. I think hes done a lot of good.