British explorer Perry Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) and his search for an ancient civilisation deep within the Amazonian forest is the focus of James Gray’s existential, slow-burning adventure. It’s sumptuously shot by cinematographer Darius Khondji, the expanse brimming not only with dangers, but also with endless possibilites for both discovery and enlightenment. The story drifts along as it covers a twenty-odd years period in which Fawcett succumbs wholeheartedly to the rainforest, even in spite of the wife (Sienna Miller) and family he leaves behind in England, who are never truly at the forefront of his thoughts. Hunnam is nicely cast as the resilient, introspective Fawcett, while Miller – every bit the match of Hunnam – is awarded far more screentime than women typically are in period dramas of these sort. Gray, who wrote the screenplay from David Grann’s book of the same name, adopts a methodical pace that’s won’t sit right with everyone. But it’s profound cinema nonetheless that’s rich in wonder and beauty.
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