The Territory (2022 | Brazil/Denmark/USA | 86 minutes | Alex Pritz)
The title of The Territory refers to a large swath of rainforest inhabited by the dwindling population of Uru-eu-wau-wau people, who first came into contact with non-Native Brazilians in 1981. Until recently, strict protections have made this land one of the few remaining bulwarks against the rampant clear-cutting that threatens to fundamentally erase the lush and biodiverse Amazon river basin.
Alex Pritz’s documentary juxtaposes life among the Uru-eu-wau-wau with those of indigent farm workers seeking to establish their own settlements within the untouched lands as a way of elevating themselves from poverty. Set against Brazil’s national politics and the inflammatory rhetoric of Jair Bolsanaro, the film provides an harrowing and intimate view of the stakes of the increasingly brazen incursions into protected territory. The infuriating situation is all the more unsettling as these violations are essentially aided and abetted by a political establishment that is actively hostile toward indigenous peoples and prior commitments made to them.
Over the course of the documentary, we see how calls for assistance from an longstanding ally and environmental activist go unheeded while rogue settlers impatiently stage environmentally devastating land grabs. A turning point comes as the Uru-eu-wau-wau decide to elevate a young, technologically-savvy member named Bitate as their new leader. His efforts to work with other leaders in the rainforest and collaboration with the documentary film crew rounds out the portrait of indigenous activism, alliances, and the power of self-determination.
Their work dovetails with the work of a traditional documentary film crew who capture the stakes of the conflict from macroscopic shots of tiny rainforest creatures to sweeping drone footage of the sharp lines of stark contrast between the rainforests and ever-encroaching farmlands. Scenes of giant trees being felled and swaths of nature engulfed by flames play like nightmares, yet never dwarf the human toll of a young leader’s death and the constant unsettling threats against resilient environmental advocates. Ultimately, the film finds the community rallying to stand their ground, patrolling their territory against intruders, and leveraging the tools of filmmaking and media as their most potent weapons. Whether the film is a furious call to action, an inspirational story of reclaiming ownership of your own narrative, or a fleeting document of brave but futile resistance remains (and demands) to be seen.
A previous version of this review ran when The Territory played as an official selection of Sundance’s World Cinema: Documentary Competition, where it won the Audience Award and a special jury award for documentary craft. Since then, it won the Golden Space Needle for best documentary at SIFF. It’s now getting a theatrical release, including at SIFF Cinema Uptown beginning on August 19th.