Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh Fri 20 June & Cineworld, Edinburgh Sun 22 Jun
Eli Roth / USA / 2013 / 103 mins
We’ve all heard shocking stories about the deforestation of the Amazon, though typically in black and white rather than the visceral tones of Eli Roth’s gorefest. And whilst it’s difficult to make a case for destroying vital ecosystems, there’s also something satisfying about a group of patronising student activists under attack from the very cultures they want to protect.
The Green Inferno begins at an American university, where the naive Justine (Lorenza Izzo) falls under the spell of boorish revolutionary Alejandro (Ariel Levy). Faster than you can print a Che Guevara poster, Alejandro has a small group of followers chained to bulldozers deep in the rain forest. Things go from bad to worse when their plane crashes and the survivors find themselves face to face with the distinctly ungrateful tribe they’ve been fighting to save. It seems the locals can’t tell the difference between greedy developers and environmental activists. Oh, and they’re cannibals.
The Green Inferno won’t be to everyone’s taste. The dialogue is clunky, the characters two-dimensional at best, and the exposition implausible. It could charitably be considered an allegory on the dangers of idealistic but uninformed intervention in complex issues. But what will matter most to fans of the genre is that it is often truly shocking, and gory enough to set the strongest stomach churning.
Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014