On your right, you can see another stretch of water and canes.
This part of Florida is, essentially, a vast deserted swamp.
Deserted, as you can see for yourselves, means totally empty.
Seminole Indians used to hunt caimans around here.
There are no more caimans in this area, the Indians killed them all.
The Indians left as soon as the caimans were no more.
Adventure International Corporation thanks you for your preference.
We wish to see you soon for another incredible tour on one of our airboats.
While you wait for the bus that'll take you back to your hotel, enjoy a cold drink.
What would you prefer, madam? Beer? Coke? Snacks?
- Enjoy. - I'll have a beer.
- What would you like? - Beer. - Here.
- Anything left? - Sure.
- Here. - Thank you.
Your bus will be here in minutes.
Goodbye!
'Click'. I guess it's true what they say. Sometimes an adventure starts from nothing.
Even from a simple 'click'.
An expedition in the Amazon Jungle started from the recorded noise...
...of a lighter lighting a pipe.
Enough proof to believe that he's still alive?
Would they have allowed him to smoke if they wanted to kill him?
Yes. Sometimes even a click is enough to start an adventure.
Hello?
Gemma! I was just thinking about you!
I listened to the tape and you're right, Korenz is definitely alive!
Now you see why I was talking about absolute proof.
Yeah, the recording you took that night was decisive.
Now we just need to go to the Amazon Jungle.
We have the best airplane available and our pilot, well, he's much more than a pilot!
Check the oil, the tyres and clean the windshield.
Sure, boss.
Don't rev the engine up when you park it.
- Don't forget to fuel it up. - Sure thing, boss.
Sure thing, boss.
A new carburettor too? You're assembling that boat anew or what?
Well, it wasn't doing that great lately.
The other day it almost left me and a group of old folks in the middle of the swamp.
What about the parts you ordered yesterday? Or last week? Who'll tell the bosses?
No sweat, I'm going to tell them.
Mark!
- The carburettor! - Good, the last part I needed!
The last one!
Pio called, we've got to leave as soon as we change the carburettor.
- Gemma is waiting for us. - How much time do you need?
Give me two hours and we'll be ready to fly.
Where is it?
Hey, have you seen our plane? It's the yellow one!
Too late, it's been sold this morning.
You should have made up your mind sooner.
It's been sold.
- Sold? - Yup.
- Who bought it? - Willie Berg, a crazy architect.
- He just built a skyscraper. - What does he need the plane for?
- He's using it as a decoration. - No way!
And it's worth five times more of the five thousand dollars he paid for it.
- I'm going out. - Bye, Doctor.
New radio, new doors, new flaps, new everything...
Shake it good.
What do we do now?
I'm not telling Gemma.
Who's going to tell her that her scoop is over because we didn't buy the plane yet?
Her radio station already gave her an advance.
There's gotta be a way.
- What? Taking the plane anyway? - Sure, why not?
He'll have it back at the end of our expedition.
You can't even call it stealing. We're borrowing it.
I guess it won't be that hard, we'll just have to cut a couple of wires and...
Well, it really is yellow.
Get the jeep closer.
Stop!
All done here.
Get at the controls, quick!
- Me? - No worries, I'll tell you what to do.
If you say so...
Fred, the battery!
Coming.
Connect it under the control wheel.
Done?
- Yeah. - You'll see the landing gear lever.
- Move it to the right. - The right.
Attaboy.
Now put the lever in its initial position.
Bring it down, Fred.
Easy.
- Carburettor ready? - Yeah, fueling it up.
Catch, Pio!
Get a move on, guys!
Mark, get into the cockpit!
- We gotta get it started! - Yeah!
Go, go, go!
It's working!
Hop in, Pio!
- All good? - Yeah, thanks!
Don't take off without warning us!
Mind the wings!
- Can you get through? - Wait, let me get off!
- What's going on? - We're shooting a movie!
Go, go!
Forward!
Pio, grab the other wing!
- Careful! - Easy!
Easy!
Paddle.
Pull it up!
Go, go!
We're flying!
- Look out for the Coast Guard radars. - Don't worry!
I'm going down.
Let's fly over water.
Can't you go a little higher?
We're off the radars, tell me where to go!
Full ahead.
Vamonos, vamonos!
Where is she waiting?
At the most elegant and sophisticated hotel in town!
Pio, what's she like?
Gemma Demien? She's awesome.
She's always looking for a scoop...
...and she knows a lot of important people all around the world.
She's probably at some exclusive party right now!
Have a drink, it'll help.
One, two, three, check.
- No names, clear? - Sure.
And no details about where I live.
Otherwise I'm out.
I don't want to get my throat slit for 200 dollars.
This is Gemma Demien for a new episode of "Fantastic Reality".
Once again, I'm going to witness something incredible.
Something beyond imagination.
I'm inside a very special laboratory.
On a table, inside glass jars and ready to be shrunken...
...I see some decapitated heads.
Indian heads.
Why Indians?
Indian warriors cut the heads of their enemies to get their souls.
Their women...
...use the heads as love pendants.
Do you shrunk them for the Indians, then?
For them? They wouldn't have the money.
How do you process the heads in order to shrunk them?
Well it's not an easy task.
The shrunken head has to look like its original size.
First thing to do is to remove the scalp without damaging it.
- Not many people left able to do it. - What happens next?
Then you put the heads in a vegetable decoction.
It hardens the skin and tans it.
Then you break the skull, like a coconut.
You remove the bone fragments through the neckhole.
You fill it with hot sand.
You do this until the skin is as hard as wood.
Then you add the hair. Their real ones.
And that's it.
Who does this procedure?
Women, mostly. Their smaller hands are better for the job.
Why sewing the lips shut?
In order to avoid the spirits of the dead to curse those who killed them.
What you've just heard is true and it's happening in a remote location...
...close to a big South American city.
Once again, Gemma Demien has witnessed another "Fantastic Reality".
I promised not to make names, but I'll never forget what I'm witnessing here.
Enough. Let's go.
Not yet.
No pictures, I said!
I need some proof. Otherwise, they'll never believe me.
Statues...
Weapons...
Sun god masks...
Only a small part of the treasure of the Imas tribe has been recovered.
Historians say there's 500 tons of the treasure hidden in the Amazon Jungle.
The Imas were a warrior tribe and, despite horrible tortures...
...never told the Spanish conquistadores the location of this El Dorado.
Watch your head, fan ahead!
Oh, right.
Watch my step, too. Would it have hurt them to build a real ladder?
This hotel was supposed to be elegant and sophisticated.
Anyway, that's what Professor Korenz was chasing. A mystery from a distant past.
The Imas warriors or the El Dorado?
I'm trying to find out.
You dragged us here to find him or the goal of his mission?
Find out if this shitty hotel has a laundry room.
Hi.
About time!
Finally.
Ready to carry on or not?
Well, actually it's two days we've been waiting for you.
By the way, this is Gemma.
- Hi. - Hello.
They're Mark and Fred.
All right, we'd better get a move on.
We've got a long way to go and a long time to know each other.
If you carry around all this stuff, how are we supposed...
...to bring the professor back if we ever manage to find him?
Don't worry about that. I'd do anything for a story like this.
I'd throw everything away, if necessary, or make the professor sit on my lap.
Hey, I'd love to sit on your lap myself.
Funny.
We're almost at Puerto Angel.
It's a horrible place. I'd have never returned there if it wasn't for Garcia.
Will Garcia tell us where the Imas live?
Let's hope so.
We have to land the plane, Garcia or not.
We're running out of fuel.
Too many boats to land there, check the other side.
It's good and empty.
We can land.
On your right, you can see Puerto Angel.
You don't need that, it's not raining.
- I need it to cover the microphone. - We'll be right back for you.
Madre de dios!
Here, miss.
Look here, it's so weird to walk on this.
It's like stepping on a whale.
Hey, Gemma...
Let's be clear on this: other than the recorded sound of the click...
...do you have any other reasons to believe that the professor is still alive?
We'll find the professor as soon as we'll find the Indians. You'll see.
Alive, I hope.
Where can we find some fuel?
Where can we find Mr. Garcia?
- At El Paraiso, tonight. - Thanks very much.
He says Garcia will be at El Paraiso tonight. It's probably some bar.
Excuse me, where can we find some fuel?
Tonight at the docks. Everything's closed now.
- Is this the main street? - Yes, senor.
We must gather our supplies.
I'm sorry, you two. No Garcia until tonight.
Let's buy what we need while we wait.
Sure.
Gemma gave me some more details.
I'm more and more convinced the professor's still alive.
And Garcia will help us find him.
Nice trumpet, huh?
Garcia's the right man.
How much for the trumpet?
Garcia, the professor, the Imas and their 500 tons of gold...
It's bullshit, all of it.
I don't give a crap, I just like to fly.
I'm up for anything but I have a question.
I want to know if we'll see any money when this story's over.
Of course. It's a big scoop, we'll get a lot of money for having found him alive.
Shall we finish this beer or not?
Guys, Garcia's waiting for us. Let's go.
Okay.
El Paraiso. Eloquent name.
Fred, don't take your eyes off the plane.
Don't worry.
You know where Garcia is?
Garcia? Which one?
There's many here.
The guide.
His nickname is Piranha.
He's in the gambling room.
- Thanks a lot. - Pleasure, dear.
Like some meat?
Can I have one?
Hi!
Who's Garcia?
- That guy there. - Thanks.
Are you Garcia?
- Which Garcia? - The one known as Piranha.
What do you need from him?
I've got a job for him.
What job?
We need a guide. They say he's the best.
They're right. Where do you need to go?
High jungle, between Marau and Uaupes.
Find another guide, girl.
I'm not going into that inferno.
Another game!
Well, he made himself clear.
This guy doesn't give a crap about the high jungle.
Can you at least tell us where the Atzure village is?
Andale, andale!
Just point it on the map and you'll get 200 dollars.
The Atzunre village is here, where the river flows into the lagoon.
- Where can we buy some fuel? - The docks.
Here, this is Garcia's.
Wake up, guys!
Come on, I want to see everyone ready in five minutes!
Next time I demand a suite overlooking the park.
You should have asked the concierge!
Wait for me!
No fuel left.
Nothing left.
No fuel.
Try asking Don Pedro.
I'm sure he's got some fuel. Goodbye!
Hi, where can we find Pedro?
Don Pedro. He's that guy there.
This guy sells monkeys, not fuel.
But we've been told to talk to him.
I don't sell fuel, I need it for me.
We're friends of Garcia.
Garcia is a son of a bitch!
Well, we're not really friends with him.
Don Pedro! There's another dead one!
Fred, get me a plastic tube, a cane, anything!
- That monkey's dead. - Not yet! Hurry!
Coming.
Quick, Fred, hurry!
Come on, open your mouth.
Yes, like this.
Your friend knows about monkeys?
Sure. He's a biologist and an anthropologist.
He knows everything about animals.
Come on, breathe, life's beautiful!
Can you tell me why so many of our monkeys died?
I'd say you're using an excessive dosage of tranquilizer when you capture them.
You know about tranquilizers, too? Would you like to work for me?
There's one thing I don't get. Who are you capturing them for?
An American foundation.
They're used for pet therapy.
This I like.
All right, I'll do it.
I'll help you with the monkeys and you'll give us some fuel.
The keys are under the seat.
- Don't worry, mister! - May God be with you!
You sure we'll find it when we come back?
- Yeah, don't worry. - Who's gonna steal it? The tank's empty.
Do you know that the Amazon River has so much water that...
- Pio! - Here he goes again! - I was asleep!
Would you like to hear about the lush vegetation of the jungle?
What about the peculiar local fauna?
Where are those people going?
Entierro. A funeral.
There!
Look! It's dolphins, pink dolphins!
River dolphins?
Yes, and they're so flexible it's like they're made of rubber!
This way, mister, into the canal.
All the way.
The water's too shallow.
- Get off. - Move!
Let's get a move on, shallow water can be dangerous.
Talk less and work more!
Dangerous? Why? Risk of piranhas?
No, electric fishes. They discharge 3000 volts.
Come on, back on the boat!
Pio!
Come here, quick!
What happened?
We must remove it! It's getting inside!
- Where? - His ass!
Let's hold him! Remove that thing!
How am I supposed to do it?
Use your hands and fucking hurry!
It's slippery! I can't grab it!
Hold him!
- Do it already! - Hold him!
Got it!
You talked our heads off about the dangers of electric fishes...
...and you didn't tell us about these little carnivores?
- I couldn't find the time. - Next time, find it.
- Come on, push! - Underwear on, everyone!
Why are they removing their clothes?
Their tribes live around this area.
They don't want to be seen wearing clothes.
We must get the boat up.
- What do you mean? - We can't leave it here.
- Who'll move the boat? - Don't worry about it.
It's a trap!
Go!
I wonder if I got even dirtier by using this water.
Well...
Consider it as taking a mud bath for free. You're lucky.
- Making dinner? - Yes.
Mister, look.
- A Grey widow spider. - Yes, it is.
It's not dangerous.
What are you doing, collecting insects?
No, I'm setting this one free.
But I'd like to collect a very rare butterfly.
- You think you'll be able to find one? - I can wait.
Now, let's free this Grey widow spider.
A machete, a fire, some roots...
Here we go, some ceremony is about to start.
We're in the Amazon Jungle, after all.
Perhaps this is our real first contact with a totally different world.
People that witness an animal sacrifice usually feel a sense of anger or revulsion.
They just see it as violence, and not as a ritual, an act of passage.
It's a ceremony.
Something that goes back to the roots of humanity.
When such a ritual was meant as gaining dominance over animals.
Do we believe in rituals or not? That's the question.
To follow them in this journey to discover other dimensions...
To find that imagination that allows them to survive...
Or simply to observe them like a tourist during an organized trip.
Maybe it's just a bunch of illusions and hallucinations...
...but they're also the keys to enter this realm.
And we'll be entering it with them.
The wish is granted...
...and fantasy turns into reality.
Help!
Off! Get off!
Filthy things!
Off, damn you!
They're gone.
Maybe this is all a dream and we've stepped into another dimension.
That's why nature's turned against us.
The prey has become the predator.
Does this wound look real enough to you?
We cannot alter its natural balance.
It's not too hard to step into this world, after all.
I wonder, though, if it'll be equally easy to get out.
They look cuter during the day.
You sure it won't hurt them?
Don't worry, they'll just feel a little sting.
Let me tell you how it works.
The dart hits the target but...
...the chewing gum doesn't make it go too deep.
- It'll just put them to sleep. - Are you sure?
We need to get closer to the monkeys before they see us.
- You'll guide us. - Yes, but I won't be able to talk.
Monkeys recognise human voices.
We have to be quiet, sneak up on them...
Take aim with the blowpipe and...
Let's go.
Look, this toucan has beautiful colours.
- Like some? - You can't do that.
- Why? - He'd get sick.
Their stomachs can't process canned foods full of preservatives.
They're used to a different diet.
A healthier one.
- What are you doing? - Staying unhealthy.
Why is he opening that anthill?
- He's hungry. - He eats them?
Not the ants, the larvae.
Yummy. Try some, guys, they're highly nutritional.
Get down, Tarzan.
Building traps to catch monkeys.
Not the reason we came in the Amazon Jungle for.
- What about Professor Korenz? - Let's solve the fuel problem first.
Hold them carefully.
Grab them by the back of the neck or you'll get a bite.
Try to...
Run!
No! No!
Let me go!
Fred! Fred!
Fred!
Who are you? What do you want?
No, no!
The blood is rushing to my head.
I can't take it anymore.
Mind the roots, watch your step.
Mark, please stop or I'm going to throw up.
I feel like the jack of clubs.
Your knees are banging against my head!
Welcome.
How's the weather up there, Jesus?
Cut the jokes, we're in deep shit.
Easy.
Damn.
Why are you mad at us? What have we done to you?
You took our monkeys and our food!
Now we'll show you all!
Is that honey?
Enough.
Move! Jump like a monkey!
Keep moving! Faster, faster!
No! Stop! Are you nuts?
Stop!
Stop! Stop!
No!
No...
You took our food.
You took our monkeys and our food, you're a thief.
You and your friends.
Now we'll show you.
It's not true.
We didn't steal your food.
We didn't want to eat your monkeys.
Those monkeys are sick.
We wanted to cure them, we'd have brought them back.
That's the noise of the jungle!
We can give it to you, as a gift.
You'll own the noise.
Let us go and you'll become the most powerful shaman in all the jungle.
Is it true?
Yes! Now, please, get this spider off me!
Quick, untie me, he doesn't look that convinced!
Let's go, come on!
Hope you left them some spare batteries.
No, and the ones in it are running out! Quick, let's get out of here!
110 liters of fuel for 95 monkeys.
I think he's scammed us a little.
It won't last for long.
How long to reach Matamani's village?
We're almost there, according to the map.
That's the last one! Check out those barrels!
- Nothing at all. - The place looks deserted.
- You sure we're in the right place? - I'm sure. It can't be...
The plants have covered everything and...
Just a kid!
- What's he doing alone in the jungle? - Dunno.
- It's not the jungle, this is the village. - What?
This is the village?
More wasted time.
This is it.
Only the main huts are left, but this is the heart of the village.
Did they have traffic lights?
Hello?
Is this child yours?
Can I leave him with you?
Blind.
Well, goodbye.
This is where the professor lived.
- What's this? - Let's see.
It's books. All the professor's books.
Who's there?
Matamani?
Why are you hiding?
Matamani!
You're not Matamani.
Don't be scared.
Where is Matamani?
I'm a friend of Matamani.
Stop running away, I'm a woman!
Look. I'm a woman.
- Where are you? - Here!
Stay there, don't scare her.
Don't touch them, they're just women and children.
Where are the men?
We're all that's left of the tribe.
The gold prospectors came. They've tortured and killed the men.
Tortured and killed the men?
Yes. It took them three days.
What did they want from you?
They wanted to know from Matamani where the Imas live.
Did he tell them?
Come with me. I'll take you to Matamani.
We'll know how to find the professor, finally.
It's so foggy.
It feels like "Romancing the Stone".
Here's Matamani.
How? This is a termite mound.
Where's Matamani?
He's here.
She's making fun of us, I'm telling you.
Here?
Fuck.
I got lucky.
We must save it!
Matamani's spirit is inside it, we can't let it die down there!
What did this lunatic say?
That we gotta save the jaguar because Matamani's spirit is inside it.
Sure, but how are we supposed to get it out of that hole?
We'll use this net, it's the only way.
There!
Grab the net, come on!
Let's pull it up!
Matamani's heavy!
Almost there! Don't stop!
Careful, it's slipping!
Almost there!
Get ready to run!
Well, you scared it.
Bye, Matamani.
Before they killed him...
...do you know if Matamani told those men where the Imas live?
No, he didn't.
Do you know where the Imas live?
Maybe I do.
- Come with us, then. - After.
After what?
After you'll save my sisters from the prospectors.
- That's enough, let's go. - Wait!
What about the others?
How will they get through the river...
...and reach another village?
All those people? Where do we put them?
Last two barrels.
You think it's enough?
Yeah. Tie them to the other side.
Get ready to roll, Gemma.
Tie those knots.
- Pio, are you ready? - Almost!
Ready!
Okay!
Hit it!
Get up there!
As high as you can.
Why were you looking for Matamani?
What did you want from him?
We're looking for a missing white man and Matamani could have helped us.
We can tell her everything.
There's no need to hide anything from her.
The man we're looking for is Professor Korenz.
We hope to find him at the end of this travel.
- When will it end? - When we'll find the Imas.
- Should I keep it at idle speed? - Yeah, that's good.
All right.
- Goodbye, friends! - Good luck!
Goodbye!
- Need some light? - Yes, thank you.
Anything in that book that might help us?
Nothing specific, but we're in the right place. The Imas should live around here.
I hope so. The plane uses more fuel without the raft.
- We're also looking for those prospectors. - And her sisters.
What are they doing now? Trying on clothes?
Yeah, a nice outfit for a weekend in the Amazon Jungle.
Eyes on the right side.
We'll get stuck if we end into shallow water.
Traversing these paths to save so little time is freaking stupid.
Shut up and row.
You've got to adapt to the local mentality, Fred.
The concept of time is different here.
Quiet!
What's this music?
It's Mozart!
He looks like a Camel Trophy contestant.
Hi!
Masato gruel made by the Yagua tribe?
No, another tribe made it. It tastes much better.
It's usually made by the women. They chew and spit the roots.
The men chew this one.
They call him Bisimahaka.
What does it mean?
A lonely man that watches over the jungle and the river.
It's full of snakes in here!
Just the small ones. The big ones are in the bags.
What's this, a boa constrictor?
It's an anaconda.
Look, an Amazonian manatee!
They're going extinct, we're lucky to see one!
Going extinct?
So they say.
Cry me a river.
Why? What have they done to you?
Damn things ripped all my nets. Look.
How do you fish, then?
Using these, a hook and a big line.
The more these fishes stink, the more they attract anacondas.
Don't wash in the river, it's full of piranhas.
Whenever you need to wash...
...use this.
I'll make you some food.
Say...
Do you mind if we sleep on your raft, tonight?
Not at all. If you want to thank me, help me changing the bait in a couple hours.
Oh, stop scaring it.
- Need a bait? - Already got one.
According to an old Amazonian legend...
...the first men didn't have water.
A woman named Miamato owned it.
One day, a man discovered the tree from where water came...
...and cut it.
The trunk transformed into an anaconda.
The Indians named it Annifakicar.
Easy.
Grab them carefully.
Grab them by the back of the head.
Look, one got free!
- Where are you going? - To catch it!
Wait, you can't do it alone!
Where the fuck did it go?
It's near that branch, behind you!
- Got it! - Don't let it go!
Don't let it go!
Hold it!
It's slipping!
It's getting away!
I can also wash the dishes, you see. It doesn't make me feel less than you...
...because I chose to do it.
Could you choose to wash mine too, please?
That's so funny. Give.
I'm still a woman, even if I always lived like a man.
I've seen and done more things than all of you guys, but inside I'm still a woman.
That I can see.
Let's hope the Curupira won't notice it.
Who's that?
A strange creature that possesses a different woman every night.
And they call it Curupira.
We'll start getting our hammocks out, if you don't mind.
I'll sleep outside with you. I'm leaving my bed to the girl.
Thanks.
The last gentleman in the Amazon Jungle.
Trying to imitate the Curupira?
I guess we could do it.
Not many girls like you around here.
But you chose to live here.
Yes, and I like it.
Be consistent, then.
Don't ever change. Just stay the same.
Goodbye, lonely man.
Goodbye.
That's them. They're armed.
Female vanity can be of help.
We have to get into their shacks while they're working.
I'm sure Kuwala's sisters are in there.
Come on, let's go.
Go.
Get down.
What did that poor guy do?
They're saying he stole a gold nugget.
They're using an anaconda to castrate him!
It's horrible!
There's some women on that boat.
It's my sisters!
Let's take this opportunity, quick!
Stay down.
Keep your head down.
Let's go.
- Come on. - I'd rather wait here.
If those guys catch you, they'll castrate you!
The thing is, I can't swim.
I see.
- Come on, I'll help you. - Stop!
Good evening.
Fuck!
Kuwala!
You murdering bastard.
You killed Matamani to know where to find the Imas and their treasure.
I could tell you right now...
...in exchange of your life.
Kuwala?
Out, out!
- This way, sir? - Keep walking!
Keep going.
Maybe they need some new gardeners.
Welcome, friends.
The girl will finally tell us where the Imas are.
- Never! - Why?
- I'd rather die! - Okay.
Seeing that you're not afraid of dying...
...we'll play a different game.
Carlos, bring Maria Dolores.
Yes, boss. Coming.
Pull down your trousers.
Faster!
Yes, almost there.
Your pants, too.
Gentlemen, this is Maria Dolores.
Maria can be very convincing.
Especially when it comes to men.
Carlos, begin.
Wait...
You got to be kidding.
Kuwala!
What's it got to do with me?
- Tell him! - I'll tell you! Take the snake away!
Carlos, take Maria away.
Did you make up your mind, miss?
Where are the Imas?
There's a ring-shaped island where the three rivers meet.
That's where the Imas live.
Pio, grab the gun!
- Damn you! - Shut up!
- All clear? - They're coming.
- Jump down! - We'll meet back at the plane!
Come on, let's get moving.
Grab her, Gemma.
Careful.
Hide, quick!
Hi!
Have you got some fuel?
Don't worry, I know how to use the self-service.
Move your ass, I need a hand here!
This thing weighs a ton!
- Will the canoe hold the weight? - Let's hope so.
Careful when you let it go.
Now.
Will you come back here for next year's vacation, count?
Actually, I'm more keen on visiting the Chateaux of the Loire Valley.
Stop, let's set up camp here.
Hey, Fred!
Make sure the rope is properly tied to those trees.
Aye, captain!
Watch out, broken tree trunks coming our way!
Quick, we gotta move the plane!
One of the girls fell into the water!
The canoe tipped over!
Help!
We must save her! Do something!
Help me!
Fred, untie the tail and hold on to that rope, we'll try to catch her!
Help!
I'm here!
Get in front of me or you'll lose the grip!
- What now? - Freeze!
For fuck's sake.
I surrender.
Hey, look who's here!
Hey, Pio. I didn't know you were in the neighbourhood.
Yep. Fate brings us together.
- Is the girl okay? - As good as it gets.
Stop. Sit down.
Give me a hand.
Look where we ended up.
Who are these people?
I'm afraid they're river pirates.
They've captured many Indian children.
Look!
That's a head!
They're sending it who knows where in a cooler box.
I know where.
They're headhunters!
I bet police is after them, but if they keep hiding in this cave...
...the cops will never be able to find them, even using thermal goggles!
Fred, look! That one looks like the leader.
Yeah, with the smirk of a son of a bitch.
Put this kid with the others.
Yes, boss.
I'll be with you in a minute.
Good afternoon.
What are you doing?
I won't kill them, don't worry.
They're too valuable.
I need these children alive in order to ship them.
They are worthless when delivered dead.
Nowadays there's a huge demand for eyes, kidneys, hearts or livers.
Transplantology is constantly evolving yet there's a lack of raw material.
I'm a humanitarian, not just a businessman.
Yeah, sure!
- Pedro! - Yes, boss?
Come here and keep the kids quiet.
Why did he tell us everything?
That's a bad sign. It means he's going to kill us.
Faster, faster!
We have to get everything ready before nightfall!
Get a move on, we're wasting a lot of time!
Wait.
All right, close it.
A fire!
Give up, you're surrounded!
It's Mark! Quick, let's free the children!
Come on!
Pedro!
Run, boss!
- Untie me. - On it.
Done.
Here.
Quick!
Well done, Rambo!
- Give one to me. - Careful.
Fred, let's tell the women and children to get to the village!
We'll take another route in case those men follow us!
- Okay! - Go, go! Get to the village!
Give me your hand.
Come on.
Shit, it bit me! It bit me!
Did you see what it was?
- A snake in the water. - Let me see.
It bit my calf.
Pio, tie a tourniquet around her leg.
Give me the knife.
Here.
- Try to keep it still. - I'm trying to.
Use the tourniquet first.
Done.
- Make an incision on the wound. - No, don't.
- It's a surucucu. - What is it?
Its bite causes gangrene.
What can we do?
Amputate her leg.
- Amputate her leg? - There's no other way.
The shaman at the village might help her!
This way.
Take her to the shaman.
She needs help.
He's there.
There's nothing left but try magic.
Have faith in the shaman.
Any western doctor would give up on Gemma.
Even amputating her leg would be useless.
Science, biology and the progress of medical knowledge...
...made us somewhat lose the feeling of hope.
What we are witnessing today is some sort of supernatural phenomenon.
Actually, we're somehow participating in it.
Participating with our feeling of hope.
What about this man?
Where do his powers come from?
Eastern people say that there are wise men...
...who are capable of healing the suffering of the common people.
A wise man knows the depths of existence and has defied his own subconscious.
Whereas we normal people keep on living on the surface of life.
We, still afraid of the unknown.
What are they doing?
Who's that man?
An old man who's about to die.
The shaman will pass Gemma's poison onto him.
Are we letting him do that?
We've got no other choice, do we?
Perhaps, having faith means accepting that incredible energy flowing within us.
That energy capable of granting ultimate knowledge to any man.
The shaman has it.
We've become part of his ancient ritual.
We, along with our energies, have become part of this ritual...
...that will allow a life to continue.
I wonder if we'll ever meet again.
It's the river that takes you around. It's only a matter of waiting.
Here.
Gemma's doing better. We can resume our journey.
We lost four days, the prospectors have probably found the Imas.
Let's hope not. Maybe they've found some trouble along the way.
- When are we leaving? - After the ceremony.
Like these people say, there's always something dying...
...but there's also something living.
These Indians are grateful for being alive.
They tiptoe their way through life.
They're willing to sacrifice their life to save another...
...because they know it will perpetuate their existence.
This ceremony isn't sad, nor tragic.
Gemma swallows the ashes of the man that saved her. This way, he'll live within her.
The rest will be spread into the river...
...and collected by the sacred spirit of the anaconda.
You sure this is the right direction?
- Kuwala said to keep following the river. - This is it!
This is where the three rivers meet.
We should see the ring-shaped island.
There, right in front of us!
The place doesn't look very much alive.
Kuwala said we'll find the Imas there.
And if we find them, maybe we'd find Korenz, too.
Let's put this stuff in a plastic bag.
Christ, those boats belong to the prospectors!
We couldn't have landed in a worse place.
Mark, put the plane somewhere safe!
We gotta warn the Imas about those bastards!
- Take the rifle. - Give me the pistol, it's more practical.
I'm coming with you.
I'll be ready to get you out of here.
All right!
- Try to stay out of trouble. - Too late for that!
Fred! There's something here!
It's a body.
- He's an Indian. - Look at his tattoos.
- He's an Imas! - We found them!
But those bastards got here before us.
Look!
Another body.
They cut his throat.
Damn them.
They're ruthless. They'll kill everyone to get their hands on the treasure.
Fred!
God...
They must have tortured him to make him talk.
We must let the Imas know we're on their side!
Look.
I've gotten used to carrying people on my shoulders. I'm missing it already.
And I've gotten using to having half the jungle in my boots.
Everyone's disappeared.
They must be hiding in there. Let's go.
Now what?
Why?
But...
Professor Korenz!
It's been a real challenge.
Believe it or not, me and Gemma decided to come looking for you...
...after hearing the recorded noise of your lighter.
We've never stopped believing you were still alive.
I can't imagine what you must have been through.
You can say that.
- Where's Gemma? - They'll pop up somewhere.
We couldn't let the prospectors see our plane.
Me and Pio followed the trail of bodies.
The bodies of my people.
We are late?
Professor!
Gemma, how are you?
How did it go? Any problems?
No, it was a walk in the park.
You wanted to disappear.
I see.
I hoped no one would have ever been able to find me or the Imas.
I'm sorry, Professor Korenz. It's all our fault.
None of this would have happened if it wasn't for us looking for you.
I thought you had found the Imas and their treasure.
The treasure doesn't exist.
The Imas don't exist.
- What do you mean? What about them? - They aren't Imas.
I'm telling the truth, Pio. They aren't even their descendants.
They're just Indians who've already been tainted by civilization.
Professor, come!
I need to take a picture with you and the Imas.
Hold your bows and arrows.
Good. Stand there in the middle.
Here?
Good. Stay still.
- All done? - Wait. One with the children.
Good.
It's all over now.
I couldn't do it.
This was just an illusion.
I've tried to change the course of time.
I've tried to bring them back to the past.
I've tried to make them relive it.
I wanted to make them become Imas.
I wanted to make them rediscover their old ways, their rituals, their magic.
And, with those, assert their dominance over the jungle.
But it was all an utopian dream.
No one can bring back that ancient tribe.
Professor?
I've heard what you were saying to Pio.
No one could say they aren't the real Imas.
We have the pictures.
I don't follow you.
It'd be a great scoop.
People will be fighting to finance your next expedition.
Perhaps to find another long lost tribe.
What if someone finds out the truth, that these Imas are fake?
Who could do that?
There's only five people who know the truth.
Me, you, Fred, Mark and Pio.
One day, one of them could reveal the truth.
One day, maybe. They'll stay here for a while, I'll return for them later.
Hey! Gemma!
- Professor! - You can't leave us here!
You can't do this to us!
Gemma!
What's gotten into her?
I'm afraid I do. She got her scoop.
She's bringing Korenz back. I wonder what story they'll come up with.
That it's all true and that the tribe exists.
Sure, but how are we supposed to get out of here?
- With the Imas. - The Imas?
There they are.
- Hey! Stop! - Wait! We are coming with you!
Three bullets, a box of matchsticks, a knife and a pistol.
- That's all we have. - Everyone's got something from this story.
Korenz got his fake glory.
Gemma found success.
And we got our adventure!
We'll never return home, don't you get it?
But we managed to return.
No, I'm not in the Antilles. It's Ventotene, a Mediterranean island.
Two years have passed.
Mark has become an airline pilot in the States.
Fred runs a water skiing school.
After our return, Professor Korenz has gone back to the Amazon.
Gemma has become a big shot.
It's fair, that's what always happens to people like her.
- Good morning. - How are you, Doctor? - Yes, thanks.
And what about me?
I'm a doctor on this island.
I still have a taste for adventure.
From time to time, I remember about it all.
And fantasy turns into reality.
- Shall we wait for you, Doctor? - Yes.
One, two, three, four!
I felt a bit like an actor in some adventure film.
And I wrote my part myself.
Sometimes, a dream is just living part of your life differently.
When you manage to do it, it joins all your other dreams.
After all, the more you ask from life...
...the higher it allows you to fly.
Subtitled by Francesco Massaccesi