Avatar in the Amazon

The smash hit Avatar gets mixed reviews from Ecuador's indigenous Amazonian community—an audience that's very familiar with the movie's plot line.

Document Actions

posted Feb 23, 2010

— tags: homepage

When it comes to the thinly-veiled political message in James Cameron's mega-blockbuster Avatar, there may be no more authoritative commentary than that of indigenous Amazonian communities. One doesn't have to dig deep to see that Pandora—the lush and richly imagined alien world of Cameron's invention—mirrors what's left of the Amazon: its biodiversity, its destruction, and its inhabitants' struggle for cultural survival.

Members of indigenous groups from Ecuador's Amazon region recently hopped a bus to Quito, where they strapped on the 3-D goggles and offered some personal takes on the film.

"So good. Very, very good," said one movie-goer, "to be able to reflect and see that the basis of the struggle is not sporadic, but rather a deep struggle—a struggle for the dreams of our ancestors."

Blanca Chancoso was more critical, putting a finger on Hollywood's penchant for shoot-'em-up diplomacy: "In the movie, it doesn't show dialogue," she says. "It shows war. It's as if the only solution is war—and to begin with, we see that the conflict is not resolved because everything is left destroyed. And at the same time, human lives were lost. So I believe there should be another message."

The video was produced by Public Radio International.

Interested?
What's Wrong With Avatar? Fran Korten's take on whether the movie shows a real path to cultural transformation.

YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. sgast. (2010, February 23). Avatar in the Amazon. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/avatar-in-the-amazon. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

You won’t see any commercial ads in YES!, in print or on this website.
That means, we rely on support from our readers.

|| SUBSCRIBE || GIVE A GIFT || DONATE ||
Independent. Nonprofit. Subscriber-supported.

Reader Comments

Suggestion

Posted by Sneed at Mar 08, 2010 02:57 PM

Great video on Avatar and reactions from Ecuador's indigenous Amazonian community. But could you not find an experienced, slightly more mature narrator?

A narrator's voice should give the impression that he/she might actually have some first-hand knowledge about or experience with the subject of narration.

This narrator didn't sound old enough to have a passport. When you hear "ree-al-a-dee" instead of "reality", it does unfortunately distract from the content. Maintaining the intonations of a high school public-speaking contest makes narrative sound trite, not fresh.

Please, use narrators who've moved out their parents' house and have done a little exploration on their own.