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.

I really do believe most people understand raising tax rates is bad for the economy, it costs jobs. It actually in the long term undermines revenue.

In fact, Guerra based his story on the diaries of two explorers, German Theodor Koch-Grunberg and American Richard Evans Schultes. There work is some of the only documentation of cultures that have since vanished. But Guerra did not want white men to be his protagonists.

In the end, all Republicans want to make sure we don't increase taxes. That's where we differ with the Democrats.

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

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.