An odyssey into the heart of darkness

The Lost City Of Z Direction: James Gray Actors: Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller Rating:

The Lost City of Z is a stimulating reconstruction of one man’s quest, over decades, for a vanished South American civilisation. It is inspired by the true story of British soldier / explorer Percy Fawcett, a visionary who forged his way into the Amazonian wilderness time and again. Initially tasked by the Royal Geographical Society with surveying the unmapped border between Bolivia and Brazil, the cartographer (Charlie Hunnam, riveting) discovers evidence of a previously unknown agrarian society deep within the jungle.

Evocative of place and period, the wide-screen 35-mm cinematography by Iranian-born Darius Khondji (Woody Allen’s regular latter-day collaborator) contributes immensely to the film’s success. The Lost City of Z is an illuminating odyssey into the heart of darkness.