25/37
After years in New York, 14-year-old Autumn returns to the Amazon rainforest to save her childhood village and beloved jaguar friend.. A spiritual remake of Mia und der weiße Löwe (2018), an earlier film by Gilles de Maistre.. Teenager Autumn Edison (Lumi Pollack) lives in New York with her father. They left their home in the Amazon jungle and her tribe after the murder of her activist mother 8 years earlier. Her father had hidden letters from her tribal relatives. Loggers, poachers and others have destroyed the land around them. As a child, Autumn befriended a jaguar she named Hope. There is only one jaguar left in the area who is hunted endlessly. Autumn fears that she is Hope and runs away from home in a desperate attempt to save her friend. She is followed by her agoraphobic science teacher Anja (Emily Bett Rickards), who tries to protect her student, despite the fact that she is completely miserable. This reminds me a lot of those old-school Disney movies with unrealistic characters, unrealistic situations, and unrealistic animals. At least this one has its heart in the right place, and some of the jungle locations are stunning. As far as unrealistic characters go, I am more encouraged by the Disney princess attempt. It is ridiculous for them to float down a river like a cartoon movie. I actually have no problem with Anja. She is meant to be comic relief. The Amazon situation is, to say the least, a little simplistic. The film is beautiful and enjoyable, but the fakeness overwhelms the better aspects.
