Torch

The lush rain forests of Belize should be a welcome home to brilliant vegetation, buzzing bugs, and raucous birds. But in this jungle thriller, it provides excellent cover for supernatural forces, menacing jaguars, and bandits with a plan. Many years after the mysterious deaths of her parents, the now adult but still fragile Clara returns with her new love, the smoldering Gabriel, to her grandfather August’s Belize compound. Gradually, Clara realizes that returning to the place she loved also means confronting her fears. Dreams merge into reality when her whole world suddenly and mysteriously turns upside down. Who can she trust? With drummers beating and beasts looming, local allies try to protect Clara from both new and old villains. Christopher Coppola’s (Sacred Blood, MVFF 2015) exquisite cinematography and use of a local cast add a layer of authenticity to a tangled tale, in which only the jungle paradise knows the secrets that loom within.