"Tears of the Amazon" --MBC's Powerful Statement on the Destruction of the River, the Rainforest, and Indigenous Tribes

To a packed house on two consecutive nights this week, the Korean Cultural Center, LA, screened all three episodes of the documentary, "Tears of the Amazon." I'd wanted to see it, thinking I'd learn something different, from a "Korean perspective," on what's happening in the Amazonas rainforest, and, hey, I'm not that much of a Lakers fan that I'd have to stay home and watch the game!

Anyway, both evenings proved enlightening. Wednesday evening, with episodes 1 and 2, the documentary drew the viewers into the dangerous beauty of the river and the surrounding rainforest -- 35 times the size of the Korean peninsula! (I think I got that right!) Spectacular scenes of monkeys, sloths, prehistoric fish, aramadillos, and crocodiles came alive in the high quality HD production. Co-existing along the river banks were various tribes of indigenous peoples. True to the approach of Korean dramas that made Korean culture, history, and family life and relationships a part of my anglo-in-LA life, "Tears of the Amazon" captured story lines from the intimate lives of indigenous people. We shared the joy of a celebration, including one tribe's festival that excluded the women -- until the women took revenge! Hilarious!! There were the joys of hunting and fishing to provide for one's family, the pregnant woman awaiting her first baby, the woman who made it to the finals in a wrestling competition though her husband hadn't made it that far in the men's competition, and even the adolescent girl who was advised by her mom to tell her if she slept with a boy. Most touching of all the human scenes that first evening was the story of an 8-year-old girl who was totally on her own, tagging along and helping where she could just to survive. Her mom had died, and her dad had abandoned her to go to the city. She still had an uncle whose only contribution to her livelihood was not to help her so that she would continue to develop the skills she needed to survive.

That was the first night, which intimately engaged the viewer in the world of the rainforest. Then - SLAM! The next night was filled with destruction all around us! The trees came crashing down -- monkeys and sloth families holding on for dear life! Each tree, according to the beliefs of one tribe, has a soul. Viewing the high-def crash of the trees was as much like witnessing a murder as was viewing dozens of carcasses of enormous prehistoric fish that had been caught illegally despite the Brazilian government's efforts to avoid overfishing through tagging. In fact, sincere efforts made by the Brazilian government to manage the Amazon and the rainforest have proved overwhelmingly ineffective. The ranchers and goldminers continue their slash and burn techniques to clear the land. Clearing the rainforest just to provide barren land where cattle graze? Flushing out gaping holes in the land and using mercury just to find particles of gold for those addicted to a get-rich-quick gamble? What about the massacre of whole tribes of indigenous people -- men, women, and children? Survivors of these attacks have nowhere to go; they don't fit into the tempting city life, but are no longer able to survive on their native lands.

The third episode, while most disturbing, was the most powerful in showing how human greed and irresponsibility are killing the Amazon and its rainforest: the fish are gone, alligators are few and very small, lack of food forces changes in tribal life, like people no longer sharing their catch with the whole tribe and families deciding to move to the city, which has incomprehensible rules and whose luxuries require money that indigenous people don't have. In fact, one scene showed older people attending literacy classes, not to learn to read but to get the free meals that were also provided.

Suddenly, the documentary was over: a eulogy to what was without a trace of hope for the future. Though no glib answers or easy solutions were provided, the experience created by the documentary leaves the viewer caring deeply and feeling responsible. Having viewed this MBC production, I realized it was not at all a matter of a "Korean perspective" on what's going on, this minute, in the Amazon. "Tears of the Amazon" convinces viewers that this is a global catastrophe and that we are all responsible for finding ways to make crucial changes - as soon as possible!

If you get a chance, do see this documentary! "Tears of the Amazon" will be available in retail video stores on line at www.dramafever.com (with minimal commercial interruptions).