At Play in the Fields of the Lord

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

1991 · 189 min · EN · R · 6.4 (40 votes)
Dir. Héctor Babenco · Starring Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn, Tom Waits, Kathy Bates · Music Zbigniew Preisner

An adventure beyond the limits of civilization, faith and passion.

DramaRomance

Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?

VIBE

A sweeping, somber drama about the devastating collision of cultures. It's a visually stunning, yet deeply unsettling exploration of faith, ambition, and the destructive march of civilization into untouched lands. Feels weighty and profound.

melancholicintensecontemplativesomberslow-burnepic dramacharacter-drivenlush cinematographyperiod piececlash of culturesfaithcolonialismloss of innocence
based on novel or bookmissionarycivilizationtribeamazon rainforestjunglemalaria1960samazon river
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