
James is an all American boy whose promising life is brought to a halt by acute depression. Turning his back on the most progressive western treatments and medicines, James discovers ayahuasca in search of healing in the Peruvian jungle. Over the course of 10 months venturing from Shaman to Shaman, James finds friendship, answers and a kind of redemption hidden deep in the Peruvian amazon.... (Full plot summary below)
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James is an all American boy whose promising life is brought to a halt by acute depression. Turning his back on the most progressive western treatments and medicines, James discovers ayahuasca in search of healing in the Peruvian jungle. Over the course of 10 months venturing from Shaman to Shaman, James finds friendship, answers and a kind of redemption hidden deep in the Peruvian amazon.
Leave your thoughts about The Last Shaman.
| San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonUltimately, the film is what Freeman aspires to be: Not a big person making his mark on the world, but a small part of something very big. |
| FanboyNation.comSean MulvihillThe Last Shaman is often a fascinating portrait of an afflicted soul searching for answers but sometimes loses its way with its flashy presentation and complete abdication as to issues of class. |
| Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeDegan's first film, the effort often suffers from hazy storytelling, but its real difficulty for many viewers will be its protagonist, who isn't the most sympathetic proxy for Americans curious about the plant extract's suitability to treat depression. |
| Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlOn occasion, director Degan attempts to capture the plant's power via psychedelic montage, layering colors over jungle footage and Freeman's home movies, but more fascinating are the details of the rituals, the river-trek photography, Freeman's frankness about his struggles with depression, and Degan's quick portraits of the people Freeman meets along his way — none of whom gets enough screen time. |
| VarietyNick SchagerAt once superficial and overblown, this documentary also often feels downright phony. |
| The New York TimesBen KenigsbergHow The Last Shaman came to be isn’t discussed in the film, but this documentary might be less disquieting if it had been. |
| Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshThe film is a fascinating and sometimes terrifying introduction to ayahuasca. Surreal sequences mimicking the hallucinogenic experiences during the ceremonies are unnecessary and pale in comparison to the real transformation we witness. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreDegan ably imitates drug trip experiences with the visuals and editing. But he also captures a rich boy detoxing from therapeutic drugs and a corrosive-to-some culture for many months. |
| Film Journal InternationalDavid NohAbsurdly self-indulgent, sophomoric look at an American youth trying to save his tortured soul in the Third World. |
| User ReviewKate CFantastic movie about the transformation this plant can have on someone. It's too bad what the movie critics are saying but I'm not surprised. Maybe they are the ones that could use a life-changing experience such as ayahuasca. Ibogaine is also what I consider life changing. I am a firm believer in the power of plants and I think modern American medicine is completely corruptive disruptive and brainwashing. |