The Falling Sky — The Falling Sky (DVD)
The Falling Sky is a 2024 Brazilian documentary about the profound connection between indigenous people and nature, and the threat deforestation poses to their ecosystem. Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha (I’m Still Here, Passione, and Morde and Assopra) and Eryk Rocha (Pachamama, Transeunte, and Cinema Novo) directed the film.
Based on the 2010 book of the same name by Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa and anthropologist Bruce Albert, The Falling Sky takes the viewer deep into the Amazon rainforest as the Yanomami gather to perform the ancient reahu ritual or mortuary ceremony. The ceremony climaxes when the ashes of a deceased shaman are mixed in a plantain puree and consumed by the mourners to show their respect for the deceased and their family; however, it is the battle with the illegal miners that is the biggest threat to the Yanomami and the rainforest ecosystem on which they rely, as the land is uncompromisingly raped by the miners. The film shows the Yanomami’s attempts to halt the deforestation through ceremonies and invocations designed to protect their environment.
What this film does is highlight to the rest of the world the plight of the Amazonian rainforest and the Yanomami people. It’s a powerful film that should leave us all in no doubt about the impending global catastrophe driven by the greed of the industrialised nations, that is heading our way. The ritual film is punctuated by interviews with Portuguese-speaking Yanomami shaman, Davi Kopenawa, on whose book the movie is based. Kopenawa’s call is a challenge to those of us living in capitalist societies to rebel against the industries that are destroying our planet in the name of greed. The Falling Sky is as remarkable and important a piece of cinema as one will ever see. It’s a huge warning to those of us who live in so-called developed countries to get our priorities right and start to heal our planet, not accelerate its destruction. Kopenawa, eloquently makes his point through his words and his actions, he is just one man, but his knowledge and understanding of his own environment should be a warning to all of us.
Overall, this is a wonderful, beautifully shot film that should act as the catalyst for us all to take action against the giant conglomerates who have caused the devastation of large tracts of rainforest across our planet, and particularly the Amazon, which has suffered horrifying levels of deforestation in recent years. The genesis of The Falling Sky goes beyond reminding us of what we should be doing, it’s a call to arms for us all to stand up and say, “we will have no more of this devastation in our names”. It’s a chance for us all to give our children and grandchildren the best gift we can: a world worth living in. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who believes in preserving the earth’s ecosystems for future generations. The Falling Sky is one of the most important films you will ever see.