Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale (2000)

Directors:

David Shapiro
Laurie Gwen Shapiro

Writers:

David Shapiro (writer)
Laurie Shapiro (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Adventure

Plot:

A retired gay anthropologist revisits the native cultures he studied in his youth.

Plot Keywords:

Peru | New Guinea | Lover | Anthropologist | Painter

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Tobias Schneebaum	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Norman Mailer	...	Himself
Michael Nelson Rockefeller	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Once I Was a Cannibal (USA) (working title)
Wild Man (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for depiction of mature thematic material.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

Lifer Films

Movie Connections:

Features "The Charlie Rose Show" (1991)

Bizarre, homo erotic jungle love story. Where are the cannibals ?

So, where are the cannibals? Those intrigued by the title and the 'real cannibal' appeal of this film will be let down. Instead, we are shown a strange man and his re-visiting of a Papua New Guinea village full of natives, one of whom was his lover several decades prior. The man, Tobias Schneebaum is New York Jewish as they come and somehow, this is intertwined with the documentary as he appears in his yamika in several scenes.

There are no real cannibals here: only stories relayed by some of the natives and by Tobias himself. Not all together a bad film. Very interesting and great cinematography. Schneebaum remains highly likable throughout and provides us with a fascinating glimpse into a life that is about as far removed from Western Civilization as one can get.

It's just not what it claims to be on the cover and in the plot summary.

4 out of 10, kids.