Jungle (2017)

A group of friends join a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village. The men soon realize that the jungle is a difficult place to be.

Director:

Greg McLean (as Greg Mclean)

Writers:

Yossi Ghinsberg (book), Justin Monjo (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Radcliffe, Yasmin Kassim, Luis Jose Lopez

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Radcliffe	...	Yossi Ghinsberg
Yasmin Kassim	...	Kina
Luis Jose Lopez	...	Tico
Lily Sullivan	...	Amie
Jacek Koman	...	Moni Ghinsberg
Angie Milliken	...	Stela Ghinsberg
John Bluthal	...	Uncle Nissim
Rodrigo Marulanda	...	Truck Driver
Elias Granado	...	Boat Skipper
Miguel Angel Martinez	...	Boat Boy
Cayam Ghinsperg	...	Camper
Brandon Membreno	...	Bolivian Little Man
Lucho Velasco	...	Don Jorge
Obeida Benavidez	...	Don Jorge's Wife
Joey Vieira	...	Black Jack

Storyline

In the pursuit of self-discovery and authentic experiences, the Israeli backpacker, Yossi Ghinsberg, meets a cryptic Austrian geologist in La Paz, Bolivia, and captivated by his engrossing stories of lost tribes, uncharted adventures and even gold, decides to follow him, circa 1981. Without delay and accompanied by the good friends, Kevin, an American photographer, and Marcus, a Swiss teacher, they join an expedition led by their seasoned trail-leader, deep into the emerald and impenetrable Amazonian rainforest. However, as the endless and inhospitable jungle separates the inexperienced team, before long, Yossi will find himself stranded in the depths of a nightmarish environment crawling with formidable and tireless adversaries. How can one escape this green maze?

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Plot Keywords:

israeli | fire ant | ant bite | jungle | survival | 

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Taglines:

A True Story.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Arclight Films Kojo

Country:

Australia Colombia UK

Language:

English Spanish German

Release Date:

20 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jungle

Filming Locations:

Mount Tamborine, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,906,640

Company Credits

Production Co:

Babber Films, Cutting Edge Group, Screen Australia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to portray this extreme form of starvation accurately on screen, Daniel Radcliffe starved himself in real life too. While speaking to The Telegraph, Radcliffe revealed that he survived on a diet of one chicken breast and one protein bar per day, supplemented by copious amounts of coffee and cigarettes.

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Goofs

After Yossi cuts the worm out of his head, for most of the rest of the movie the cut is no longer there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Yossi Ghinsberg: [narrating] I left Israel in 1980 after three years in the army. I was desperate to escape the well-worn path. High school, university, work, marriage, kids. Not me. I wanted to be different. To experience the extraordinary. And to enter the unknown, discover lost tribes, hidden treasures, the darkest heart of the jungle. Which is why, of course, I ended up in Bolivia, South America.

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Connections

References Swiss Army Man (2016)

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Soundtracks

Pretty woman
(uncredited)
Performed by Gustave Leon F

User Reviews

Heart pounding survival story

A mysterious guide takes an enthusiastic adventurer and his friend into the Amazon jungle, but their journey turns deadly as the darkest element of the human nature and threats of the wild force them to fight for survival.

Daniel Raddcliffe (plays Yossi Ghinsberg) trades out the Dark Forest of Hogwarts for the Amazon. In 1981, Israel-born Ghinsberg (on whose account the film is about) follows a charming but deeply untrustworthy Austrian, Karl Ruprecter (Thomas Kretschmann), into the wilderness of Bolivia on the promise of finding a lost tribe and hopefully some gold along the way. Ghinsberg persuades two of his backpacking friends (played by Australian actors Alex Russell and Joel Jackson) to go along.

Greg McLean who is also behind "The Belko Experiment" and "Wolf Creek" also writes and directs this true story. Anybody who has lost their bearings on a hike for even a moment can understand the heart pounding panic portrayed in the film, along with the delicate state ones friendship might be when taking on nature's harshness. Greg does a tremendous job of putting us in Yossi's shoes, as he faces starvation, quick sand, skin worms, flashbacks and hallucinations. Radcliffe immerses himself entirely into the physical demands of this role and the result is a traumatic journey from which it's tough to see any positive outcome.

Rated R for language and some drug use I watched this on VidAngel and the rating only covers ½ of the content. Language is high here but there is also quite a bit of nudity, male rear nudity, female nudity and a woman in lingerie undressing.