A Sense of Wonder

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2017)

"The Lost City of Z" tells the story of a soldier, a man who lives to explore, to discover, to make a name of himself in a world that has started to suffocate him because of the restrictions it places upon him and his family. One day he's presented with the opportunity to find a "lost city", a place full on wonder and riches, something that will make him famous and allow him to recover his family's good name.
Soon, he's in Bolivia, finds his way into Amazonia, and with the help of a native, he reaches the end of a river. There he finds some old pottery artifacts, which plant the idea that something lies hidden in the jungle, the remnants of a civilization that according to legend was far more advanced than anything he has found in the jungle. However, he must turn around and plan a return trip, with more resources and more funding.
Convincing his countrymen proves to be more difficult, but with the help of his wife and an antique document that might be evidence of the existence of the lost city, he finds his way back to the jungle, getting closer to his goal. Unfortunately not everything works out as he expected, and the second trip becomes a missed opportunity. When he returns, he has to confront members of the Royal Geographical Society because of a decision he made during the trip. He makes it clear he will go back, but he's delayed once again when he goes to fight for England in World War I.
Many years have passed since his original trip, and this time he's joined by his own son, financed both by the Americans and the British. He wanders deeper into the jungle, only to run into other tribes he hasn't seen before. There is some speculation as to what really happen here, but he disappears and never heard from again until an object shows up back in England, and it's the only connection left to the explorer.
There is an epic feel to the movie, to the way both worlds are presented in their majesty. The British world with its luxuries and civilization with its rigidity and the class divisions, and the new world, full of mysteries, opportunities, and dangers. It's a world that charms and frightens, with such power and plenty of darkness, with the lure of promises that might or might never come true.
The picture is a representation of what the establishment is, and how societies change because of different reasons. One can have plans, but it doesn't mean that they will always be fully realized.