Tragic Jungle (Yulene Olaizola, 2020) (Patreon)

I must admit, I'm a bit confused by the fact that this rather pedestrian film is being hailed as a breakout for Olaizola. And to be honest, the more I think about it, the more I suspect that the acclaim is rooted in the fact that Tragic Jungle closely resembles so many other, better movies. A little Herzog here, a little Apichatpong there, and a healthy dash of Claire Denis and Lucrecia Martel, and what we've got is another cautionary tale of colonialism and greed, where the white man and the locals are both united by their fatal incomprehension of the mysteries of the Feminine.

Come to think of it, Tragic Jungle operates a bit like Monos, a recent film that is in fact not better, but is equally married to the idea that mob psychology will coalesce around the fragile body of an outsider, and that this disruption -- desire lousing up the best laid plans -- will prove fatal. The grimy, gun-toting band of chicle collectors (led by Gabino Rodríguez, in his second festival appearance) are planning to rip off their boss and sell the gum themselves, and so Tragic Jungle actually adopts the basic structure of a heist picture or film noir. As it happens, their attractive young captive Agnes (Indira Andrewin) is more than a femme fatale. She becomes the embodiment of a vengeful goddess. 

So what do we learn? The jungle is a dangerous, liminal space, one that swallows men whole and can only be negotiated by that originary Dark Continent, the female psyche. Put that between your teeth and chew on it.