Tragic Jungle on Netflix is a Must Watch Film

The Latinx diaspora spans far and wide; two of the most underrepresented groups within the Latinx community are Afro-Latinx people and indigenous people. In the 2021 Netflix film Tragic Jungle, you will see Afro-Latina actress Indira Adrewin, who plays a young woman named Agnes that escapes an arranged marriage by fleeing into the Mayan Jungle. It is in this jungle that she meets a group of Mexican gum farmers that take her hostage – and then a larger story unfolds.

Some context includes the Mayan myth of Xtabay, a demon disguised as a woman dressed in a white dress who lures men and seduces them to eventually kill them. The coincidence here is that Agnes meets the farmers while she’s wearing an all white dress, and they believe her to be Xtabay.

This movie touches on some extremely important topics; for example, the effects of an arranged marriage and how it forced Agnes to literally escape into a jungle. These gum farmers showcase the brutal truth of the painstaking conditions Central American people work in to satisfy the needs of big time European corporations. Hours of their lives in dangerous conditions for barely any compensation is the harsh reality of their existence. Also, it’s great to see the diversity of Latin America in the cast of Afro-Latinos, and indigenous actors. This is a must see film that highlights the representation of the Latin American diaspora, which rarely gets the recognition it deserves.