Fire on the Amazon

American magazine photo-journalist R.J. O’Brien, Craig Sheffer, arrives in Bolivia’s Amazon basin to cover the rainforest and its people, chasing a story that threads through danger, politics, and profound moral choices. From his contact Chato, Ramón García he learns of Rafael Santos, a charismatic leader of the rubber tree tappers union who dreams of steering a nonviolent resistance against the encroaching power of cattle ranchers. The stakes rise quickly as threats multiply and Santos is killed at his family home, a death that appears to be carried out by an indigenous assassin wielding what looks like a short tribal spear. Chato bluntly frames the collective struggle: Indians against rubber tappers, tappers against Indians…cattle ranchers against both—all as vast sums of money sweep in to buy the land.

Indians against rubber tappers, tappers against Indians…cattle ranchers against both

The community bursts into protest at Santos’s funeral, led by Father Benacio. Santos’s daughter Gloria tells O’Brien she glimpsed a policeman at her father’s side the night he was killed, adding a layer of intrigue and distrust. Soon after, O’Brien meets Alyssa Rothman, Sandra Bullock from the Rainforest Preservation Society, and he comes to see the deeper purpose behind the story even as he remains initially cynical and dismissive. Nevertheless, he follows Alyssa and her associate Judith Chapman to a meeting at the home of Mr. Lucavida, where Father Benacio and the community gather to discuss the unfolding tragedy. O’Brien arrives uninvited and is shown the door, and later that evening his film is confiscated by a pistoleiro, Ramsay Ross, in a cantina.

The next day, O’Brien interviews Mr. Pedrosa about the timber industry and is taken hostage by a suspect pursued by police, led by Valdez, the resolute officer whose name is carried by Jorge García Bustamante. The suspect, Djamori of the Zingari tribe, is apprehended, but so is O’Brien. Valdez interrogates him about any connection to Djamori, who they claim killed Santos. O’Brien urges them to contact Alyssa to confirm his story, and she arrives to bail him out. At a crowded press conference, O’Brien suggests the police might be framing Djamori. Two days later, before a trial can be held, Djamori is declared dead, supposedly hanging himself in his cell.

Sandra, Judith Chapman, and Alyssa tell O’Brien that the Zingari come from the highlands, prompting the trio to set off to learn more. Along the way, they stop to help a woman whose house has been set on fire and rescue her son Antonio trapped inside. On the river, they encounter Ataninde, Juan Fernández, who is transporting Djamori’s body for funeral rites. Despite Alyssa’s reservations, O’Brien insists they follow Ataninde on the river in a dugout canoe, with the pistoleiro in pursuit.

The chase leads them back into the rainforest, where they are captured by the Zingari, now led by Ataninde. In the village, O’Brien photographs the fatal blows that prove Djamori was murdered, highlighting the brutal complexities of power, land, and justice. That evening, during a funeral dance, Alyssa and R.J. are offered a hallucinogenic drink that temporarily unbinds their inhibitions and intensifies their emotional and physical connection.

The next day, they develop the photos, but Valdez intercepts them and traps O’Brien inside his hotel room with a bomb. Alyssa saves him just in time, and they flee. Tensions rise as Alyssa suspects Sandra knew about the bomb’s design and intent. Back at her office, O’Brien watches the pistoleiro hand Lucavida’s photos to Lucavida’s associate while Sandra sits nearby, a moment that deepens the feeling that nothing in this story is simple or secure. When Ataninde refuses to help them further, they shelter with Nacia Santos while O’Brien calls Chato to arrange a flight out of Bolivia. Chato agrees to meet in Bella Vista, but Valdez tracks them down first. Valdez and the police close in, yet the community rises in passive resistance, forming a human wall to block the men who would separate them from their fate.

Valdez fires, shooting one of the protesters, but Nacia Santos and Alyssa stand together, joining their arms to fortify the barrier. Enraged, Valdez shoots Alyssa point-blank. Before they can haul O’Brien away, Ataninde takes Valdez hostage to demand O’Brien’s release. O’Brien then gathers Alyssa in his arms, and Ataninde delivers the final blow by stabbing Valdez to death, leaving the outcome of the standoff unsettling but resolute in its demonstration of collective power and sacrifice.

Last Updated: January 08, 2026 at 12:00