A New Yorker journeys to the jungle in the Darien Gap of Panama to reconnect with an indigenous tribe he met and photographed 20 years ago. Their reunion highlights the profound power of photos and the human connection that transcends cultural barriers.
Bancoco is probably one of the most interesting films I've seen in some time, as it left me feeling uncomfortably conflicted (as an Indigenous Latine person), moved, compelled, frustrated, and also a bit angered.
But ultimately all the viewer can do is trust the Indigenous voices within the film
... when they express consent to be filmed. I only hope that the Emberá were compensated properly for being utilized in this project.
"Bancoco" is the name given to our host Brad King by the Emberá tribe which was an interesting choice for the title of said film, as it does center him in a way that as a viewer I did not expect.
Once I moved past the reality that this film is inherently a self aggrandizing vanity project & accepted the fact that he truly does love these people & that his tears when saying goodbye were very real, I watched it again. Upon second viewing I chose to focus solely on the people and how they benefitted from their interactions with him showing them the photographs he took of them in their youth 20 years prior. That is truly where the magic of this film resides. Seeing the nostalgia wash over their faces, some seemed overjoyed & others were hesitant to look upon such things for fear of dwelling upon the past. But there was one scene in particular that made me feel gratitude for watching this film, where he shows a young woman a photo of her departed sister & her entire family gathers around the picture weeping at the gift of seeing her face again. I couldn't help but feel intense appreciation that despite the diaspora that comes with it, I have so many photos of the ones I love. The revelation was both sour & sweet.
This film will translate differently for each viewer, some will go through the cycle of emotions that I did, and others will likely see a beautiful story of reconnecting a cross cultural friendship. Neither are wrong because life is complicated. I do believe all will benefit from watching this movie, for very subjective reasons.
Ultimately I loved what this film helped me experience.
