The screenplay was inspired by the real-life travel diaries of ethnographers Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes .
Played by Brionne Davis, an American botanist retracing Theo's steps decades later . Critical Reception and Recognition
The critically acclaimed feature film (released internationally as Embrace of the Serpent ) is a 2015 adventure drama directed by Ciro Guerra . Set deep within the Colombian Amazon, it follows two parallel journeys thirty years apart, both centered on the relationship between an indigenous shaman named Karamakate and two Western scientists searching for the rare, sacred plant yakruna . Feature Overview Director: Ciro Guerra Release Year: 2015