Frontera Verde (2019) s01e01 Episode Script
The Deep Jungle
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES [birds squawking.]
[Yua in Tikuna.]
The deep green.
The animal's song.
The flow of the river full of life.
Mother Jungle, you are my home.
No matter how much I flee, although men do not wish to see.
You are the home of the world.
Mother Jungle, you are the origin of everything.
The spiral, the seed and the skull.
Eternity is yours.
Mother Jungle, a demon has set foot in your entrails.
One that does not belong here, in your nature.
I have been with the moon, the sun, the jaguars, and the walkers.
Their wisdom has accompanied me for 200 years.
And although I have abandoned you, allow me to free you from the white demon that rots your insides.
[helicopter whirring.]
- [in Spanish.]
Agent Poveda? - Pleasure to meet you.
Excuse me, we don't see many female agents from CTI here.
Don't worry, I'm used to it.
Nice to meet you, I'm Officer Reynaldo Bueno.
Forget to wash your uniform? I don't wear it when I'm in the communities.
Our speedboat already left.
Those bodies must be rotting in this heat.
I hired a private one.
It'll be 80,000 pesos.
Seriously? I can't even buy a soda with what the major gave me.
Why do you guys believe it was uncontacted natives? They were killed with arrows.
That's rare around here.
[man in Portuguese.]
Dear if it was those guys, you'll never find them.
They're like ghosts.
[Reynaldo.]
They're tribes that have remained hidden in the jungle for years.
They know it like no one else does.
They've never left it.
Even the drug dealers are scared of them.
Thank you.
Agent, - it's a pleasure.
- How you doing? - How was your flight? - All good.
You moved the bodies? They weren't going to last long in this humidity.
It's a miracle they weren't swallowed whole by some animal.
What about the kids who found them? They were scared shitless.
- Did they see anything? - No, but at least they said something.
If not, they would have been left missing, without a proper burial.
Look, agent, the killing arrows are in those bags.
But let me tell you something, those were the Uncontacted.
And finding them is pretty tough.
That's why they call them the Uncontacted.
What should we do, then? Ask them to send the army and comb the whole jungle? Major, I have orders to follow.
And you will have to follow mine.
All right? All right, agent.
Let's open those four bags, take out the arrows and get ready to go back to the crime scene.
Hm? I want to go through everything.
Are they all white? [Iván.]
White and blond.
Well, those three because the last one looks more like you.
[camera clicks.]
[Reynaldo.]
The victims are missionaries of Eden's Church.
Only women are allowed in that sect.
The congregation is in Yurumí.
They've been there for years, but they evangelize a lot in these areas.
[all laughing.]
Where is the photographic record? [Iván chuckles.]
We forgot the camera at the station.
Don't worry, I have a sharp eye.
[both laughing.]
[Iván.]
Agent, we did this already.
If you want, we can give you the reports.
Did you sweep the entire area? No, our priority is to cool the bodies down.
It's getting late.
Navigating on this river is very dangerous.
You're right, major.
Take the bodies.
I'll stay here with Reynaldo.
My boat is paid for the entire day.
Keep an eye on her.
We don't want the Manigua swallowing her.
Agent, my phone? It contains material relevant to the investigation.
Don't worry, I'm not going to look at your porn.
[Iván.]
As if I even had a data plan to watch porn.
Let's go, Ramírez.
They were running.
Escaping, right? The tip got stuck on something.
Or someone.
Which tribe does it belong to? Mm-mm.
Is there anything over there? The indigenous reservation is that way.
It's protected by the Guard.
Yes, but is there anything there? The ruins of the Puerto Manigua rubber mill.
Okay.
We can't go there, we might get kicked out.
We have no jurisdiction.
Wait for me on the boat, then.
I don't want you to get in any trouble.
Is this the rubber mill? Thousands of my ancestors were enslaved and murdered here.
This is an indigenous cemetery.
[Helena.]
She's dressed like the others.
[camera clicks.]
She's not decomposed to any degree.
She hasn't been here long.
Maybe the killers are close.
How did they remove her heart without leaving any trace of blood? [Reynaldo.]
Are you okay? This is how the rubber tappers used to tie the slaves to punish them.
Or to leave them to die in front of their people, as a warning.
[leaves rustling.]
We have to go.
We can't leave the body.
The Indigenous Guard? [speaks in foreign language.]
[gunfire.]
[woman grunts.]
[in Tikuna.]
We have to keep going.
If they catch us again, we will die as slaves.
I will carry you.
Your sister can run.
Do as I say.
She is tired.
I can keep it up.
[groans.]
Carry her.
[gunshot.]
[muttering in Tikuna.]
[indistinct chatter.]
What are we waiting for? For this idiot's father-in-law to let us in.
We shouldn't have given them the body.
We were in their territory.
They have all the right to it.
[Helena.]
Do the Uncontacted do these kinds of rituals? [exhales.]
I don't know.
There's everything in the Amazon.
But the blood, the way she was hanged - It seems like a ritual.
- It's a message.
Or a threat.
To whom? Didn't you feel like we were being followed? Grandfather has given permission for you to enter.
Guns are not allowed in the community.
My people are peaceful.
You got nothing to worry about.
[Yua.]
Forgive me.
We should never have separated.
I should have protected you.
[leaves rustling.]
[man.]
You are weak, grandfather.
Who are you? [man.]
I am the new race, part of this Manigua, of this world that leaves you.
[gunshots.]
Mother Jungle, let me see her for the last time.
Forgive me.
My body is left behind.
I am finally free from you, him and the poison you gave me.
Now I am one with the jungle.
You have abandoned yourself, Yua.
You have forgotten where you come from, who you are, the responsibility your grandparents gave you.
And in some way, I am to blame, and I am sorry for that.
You are still stuck in the eternal darkness.
And in order to free yourself, you must defeat the white demon we created.
But if you don't come back to yourself to understand what you are, to respect the knowledge of the sacred roots, he will destroy everything.
Our mother is in danger.
Go back to the root.
Go back to your essence.
Let's go.
I'm not allowed to go inside.
[bag unzips.]
[in Spanish.]
We do not receive visitors at this time.
But I will make an exception, given the circumstances.
Nice to meet you, my name is Wilson Nai.
Agent Helena Poveda.
Forgive the intrusion.
Do you know her? [Wilson.]
She does not belong to our community or our ethnicity.
By her features, I believe she's a Mananuc woman.
These are Chiribiquete feathers.
No one I know would use them.
It seems they drained her blood before removing her heart.
[Wilson.]
The body is like this maloca.
It has a head, feet and a heart.
The heart is the center of our existence.
Connection with Mother Jungle.
Without a heart, the maloca loses its essence, its connection.
Is there an Amazonian tribe that practices that type of rite? Not that we've heard of.
Our grandparents tell stories of beings who have been born at the same time as the walking trees.
Some tribes see them as the ancient wise men.
They call them eternal.
They don't have blood or odor in their bodies.
They do not eat, they do not sleep.
They are a reflection of the Manigua and they return to her, in the form of the walking tree.
This face does not show the age she really is.
I don't know why, but I feel like I saw her as a child.
You carry the Manigua in your heart.
Were you born here? She escaped death, her past.
Maybe you are attempting the same.
Maybe that's why you had to come back, to find her.
I'm going to call the Mananuc leaders.
It is what has to be done.
[tribe singing in foreign language.]
[singing continues.]
[woman speaks in foreign language.]
[tribe continues singing.]
They're going to burn her? They can't.
Yes, they can.
The body belongs to their tribe.
If they burn her, we'll never catch whoever killed her.
[Wilson.]
That woman lived with her people 80 years ago, but she never aged.
To them, she is bewitched, so they must purify her.
They can't end an investigation based on superstitions.
These are not superstitions, young lady.
You are in Nai territory.
You have no say here.
[gunshot.]
[in foreign language.]
Reynaldo, what are you doing? [in foreign language.]
I'm taking the body.
We have to find out who did this to her.
This can't go unpunished.
Please, let me do it.
I don't want to hurt anyone.
I do this for the sake of our people.
If you do this, you will not be able to return, ever again.
You are no longer Nai.
You are not worthy of us.
Forgive me, please.
Why were you kicked out of your community? [in Spanish.]
Major Uribe can't find out what happened.
Don't worry.
I will assume all responsibility.
But you did a good thing.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[man shouting in foreign language.]
Look.
They're from the same congregation.
They sell ointments, all-natural stuff.
There are many of them here and in Yurumí.
[engine starts.]
Mother Jungle.
Darkness will cover us if we don't stop it.
Tell me if I may drink your sage again.
The one I abandoned to die as a human.
[inaudible.]
For our daughter Helena, the root of our life.
Your parents Joaquín and Aura.
[Helena.]
The Chiric Sanango flower was not easy to find.
It was thanks to Ushe, my new guide, that I found it.
Grandparents say that it is only born when its root comes out of a corpse.
It is the flower that carries the soul of the deceased.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[in Portuguese.]
Chuchuwasa is the drink of the gods.
Plus, it's the cure for all sorrows.
Another, please.
The second shot is the one doing the healing.
[man.]
Joaquín and Aura, they used to make a good chuchuwasa.
It would even heal sorrows from the past.
I did think you remind me of someone.
Thank you.
If you see Joaquin, tell him I said hi.
How much is the bottle? [inaudible.]
[Ushe.]
Helena.
[Ushe speaks in Tikuna.]
[Yua in Tikuna.]
The deep green.
The animal's song.
The flow of the river full of life.
Mother Jungle, you are my home.
No matter how much I flee, although men do not wish to see.
You are the home of the world.
Mother Jungle, you are the origin of everything.
The spiral, the seed and the skull.
Eternity is yours.
Mother Jungle, a demon has set foot in your entrails.
One that does not belong here, in your nature.
I have been with the moon, the sun, the jaguars, and the walkers.
Their wisdom has accompanied me for 200 years.
And although I have abandoned you, allow me to free you from the white demon that rots your insides.
[helicopter whirring.]
- [in Spanish.]
Agent Poveda? - Pleasure to meet you.
Excuse me, we don't see many female agents from CTI here.
Don't worry, I'm used to it.
Nice to meet you, I'm Officer Reynaldo Bueno.
Forget to wash your uniform? I don't wear it when I'm in the communities.
Our speedboat already left.
Those bodies must be rotting in this heat.
I hired a private one.
It'll be 80,000 pesos.
Seriously? I can't even buy a soda with what the major gave me.
Why do you guys believe it was uncontacted natives? They were killed with arrows.
That's rare around here.
[man in Portuguese.]
Dear if it was those guys, you'll never find them.
They're like ghosts.
[Reynaldo.]
They're tribes that have remained hidden in the jungle for years.
They know it like no one else does.
They've never left it.
Even the drug dealers are scared of them.
Thank you.
Agent, - it's a pleasure.
- How you doing? - How was your flight? - All good.
You moved the bodies? They weren't going to last long in this humidity.
It's a miracle they weren't swallowed whole by some animal.
What about the kids who found them? They were scared shitless.
- Did they see anything? - No, but at least they said something.
If not, they would have been left missing, without a proper burial.
Look, agent, the killing arrows are in those bags.
But let me tell you something, those were the Uncontacted.
And finding them is pretty tough.
That's why they call them the Uncontacted.
What should we do, then? Ask them to send the army and comb the whole jungle? Major, I have orders to follow.
And you will have to follow mine.
All right? All right, agent.
Let's open those four bags, take out the arrows and get ready to go back to the crime scene.
Hm? I want to go through everything.
Are they all white? [Iván.]
White and blond.
Well, those three because the last one looks more like you.
[camera clicks.]
[Reynaldo.]
The victims are missionaries of Eden's Church.
Only women are allowed in that sect.
The congregation is in Yurumí.
They've been there for years, but they evangelize a lot in these areas.
[all laughing.]
Where is the photographic record? [Iván chuckles.]
We forgot the camera at the station.
Don't worry, I have a sharp eye.
[both laughing.]
[Iván.]
Agent, we did this already.
If you want, we can give you the reports.
Did you sweep the entire area? No, our priority is to cool the bodies down.
It's getting late.
Navigating on this river is very dangerous.
You're right, major.
Take the bodies.
I'll stay here with Reynaldo.
My boat is paid for the entire day.
Keep an eye on her.
We don't want the Manigua swallowing her.
Agent, my phone? It contains material relevant to the investigation.
Don't worry, I'm not going to look at your porn.
[Iván.]
As if I even had a data plan to watch porn.
Let's go, Ramírez.
They were running.
Escaping, right? The tip got stuck on something.
Or someone.
Which tribe does it belong to? Mm-mm.
Is there anything over there? The indigenous reservation is that way.
It's protected by the Guard.
Yes, but is there anything there? The ruins of the Puerto Manigua rubber mill.
Okay.
We can't go there, we might get kicked out.
We have no jurisdiction.
Wait for me on the boat, then.
I don't want you to get in any trouble.
Is this the rubber mill? Thousands of my ancestors were enslaved and murdered here.
This is an indigenous cemetery.
[Helena.]
She's dressed like the others.
[camera clicks.]
She's not decomposed to any degree.
She hasn't been here long.
Maybe the killers are close.
How did they remove her heart without leaving any trace of blood? [Reynaldo.]
Are you okay? This is how the rubber tappers used to tie the slaves to punish them.
Or to leave them to die in front of their people, as a warning.
[leaves rustling.]
We have to go.
We can't leave the body.
The Indigenous Guard? [speaks in foreign language.]
[gunfire.]
[woman grunts.]
[in Tikuna.]
We have to keep going.
If they catch us again, we will die as slaves.
I will carry you.
Your sister can run.
Do as I say.
She is tired.
I can keep it up.
[groans.]
Carry her.
[gunshot.]
[muttering in Tikuna.]
[indistinct chatter.]
What are we waiting for? For this idiot's father-in-law to let us in.
We shouldn't have given them the body.
We were in their territory.
They have all the right to it.
[Helena.]
Do the Uncontacted do these kinds of rituals? [exhales.]
I don't know.
There's everything in the Amazon.
But the blood, the way she was hanged - It seems like a ritual.
- It's a message.
Or a threat.
To whom? Didn't you feel like we were being followed? Grandfather has given permission for you to enter.
Guns are not allowed in the community.
My people are peaceful.
You got nothing to worry about.
[Yua.]
Forgive me.
We should never have separated.
I should have protected you.
[leaves rustling.]
[man.]
You are weak, grandfather.
Who are you? [man.]
I am the new race, part of this Manigua, of this world that leaves you.
[gunshots.]
Mother Jungle, let me see her for the last time.
Forgive me.
My body is left behind.
I am finally free from you, him and the poison you gave me.
Now I am one with the jungle.
You have abandoned yourself, Yua.
You have forgotten where you come from, who you are, the responsibility your grandparents gave you.
And in some way, I am to blame, and I am sorry for that.
You are still stuck in the eternal darkness.
And in order to free yourself, you must defeat the white demon we created.
But if you don't come back to yourself to understand what you are, to respect the knowledge of the sacred roots, he will destroy everything.
Our mother is in danger.
Go back to the root.
Go back to your essence.
Let's go.
I'm not allowed to go inside.
[bag unzips.]
[in Spanish.]
We do not receive visitors at this time.
But I will make an exception, given the circumstances.
Nice to meet you, my name is Wilson Nai.
Agent Helena Poveda.
Forgive the intrusion.
Do you know her? [Wilson.]
She does not belong to our community or our ethnicity.
By her features, I believe she's a Mananuc woman.
These are Chiribiquete feathers.
No one I know would use them.
It seems they drained her blood before removing her heart.
[Wilson.]
The body is like this maloca.
It has a head, feet and a heart.
The heart is the center of our existence.
Connection with Mother Jungle.
Without a heart, the maloca loses its essence, its connection.
Is there an Amazonian tribe that practices that type of rite? Not that we've heard of.
Our grandparents tell stories of beings who have been born at the same time as the walking trees.
Some tribes see them as the ancient wise men.
They call them eternal.
They don't have blood or odor in their bodies.
They do not eat, they do not sleep.
They are a reflection of the Manigua and they return to her, in the form of the walking tree.
This face does not show the age she really is.
I don't know why, but I feel like I saw her as a child.
You carry the Manigua in your heart.
Were you born here? She escaped death, her past.
Maybe you are attempting the same.
Maybe that's why you had to come back, to find her.
I'm going to call the Mananuc leaders.
It is what has to be done.
[tribe singing in foreign language.]
[singing continues.]
[woman speaks in foreign language.]
[tribe continues singing.]
They're going to burn her? They can't.
Yes, they can.
The body belongs to their tribe.
If they burn her, we'll never catch whoever killed her.
[Wilson.]
That woman lived with her people 80 years ago, but she never aged.
To them, she is bewitched, so they must purify her.
They can't end an investigation based on superstitions.
These are not superstitions, young lady.
You are in Nai territory.
You have no say here.
[gunshot.]
[in foreign language.]
Reynaldo, what are you doing? [in foreign language.]
I'm taking the body.
We have to find out who did this to her.
This can't go unpunished.
Please, let me do it.
I don't want to hurt anyone.
I do this for the sake of our people.
If you do this, you will not be able to return, ever again.
You are no longer Nai.
You are not worthy of us.
Forgive me, please.
Why were you kicked out of your community? [in Spanish.]
Major Uribe can't find out what happened.
Don't worry.
I will assume all responsibility.
But you did a good thing.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[man shouting in foreign language.]
Look.
They're from the same congregation.
They sell ointments, all-natural stuff.
There are many of them here and in Yurumí.
[engine starts.]
Mother Jungle.
Darkness will cover us if we don't stop it.
Tell me if I may drink your sage again.
The one I abandoned to die as a human.
[inaudible.]
For our daughter Helena, the root of our life.
Your parents Joaquín and Aura.
[Helena.]
The Chiric Sanango flower was not easy to find.
It was thanks to Ushe, my new guide, that I found it.
Grandparents say that it is only born when its root comes out of a corpse.
It is the flower that carries the soul of the deceased.
[dance music playing over speakers.]
[in Portuguese.]
Chuchuwasa is the drink of the gods.
Plus, it's the cure for all sorrows.
Another, please.
The second shot is the one doing the healing.
[man.]
Joaquín and Aura, they used to make a good chuchuwasa.
It would even heal sorrows from the past.
I did think you remind me of someone.
Thank you.
If you see Joaquin, tell him I said hi.
How much is the bottle? [inaudible.]
[Ushe.]
Helena.
[Ushe speaks in Tikuna.]