I love the work of Babenco. Always had a liking for his work and Lucio Flavia (1977) is one of my favorite films ever. Pixote (1983) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) are both very strong films. I haven't seen this one in a long time but remember finding it a bit dull. And I think I got into it a little more this time. It is a slow film that does need some patience. Nothing here really screams for attention and there isn't really enough conflict between the characrters to really draw you in deeply. I also think he Babenco got the casting wrong apart from Kathy Bates. Daryl Hannah was OK too. It must have been one of her last roles before she faded into oblivion. But was big in the 80's. I liked her. I have a soft spot for both Splash (1984) and especially Roxanne (1987). This film is a story of a group of Christian missionaries trying to 'civilize' an Amazon tribe. And things don't go too well. Predictably. They rarely do in these endeavours. It's an absorbing film but a pretty calm one. So you would probably need to be in the mood for something long and contemplative to like it.

In the Amazon some Protestant missionaries do not convince the natives.

In the Amazon Protestant missions do not convince the Indians.