(Filmmaker in person)

Meet young Tachi – a sorcerer’s apprentice. No, really! From resentment and crippling poverty he is led to become an Aztec shaman under the tutelage of Ehe, a 52nd-generation master of those arts. In the course of his apprenticeship, Tachi’s developing intuition leads him to the home of the famed velada spiritualist Maria Sabina. This beguiling hybrid documentary intersperses dramatic recreations of Tachi’s spiritual experiences with informative commentary by academic, cultural and anthropological experts. Serpent also explores the intricacies of the ways in which ancient Aztec tradition has assimilated and continues to influence post-Colombian culture.

(2008, 92 min. in English and Spanish with English subtitles) – D.B.