KEEP THE RIVER ON YOUR RIGHT: A Modern Cannibal Tale

A man returns to visit his cannibal friends in the jungle 45 years later in this fascinating, rambling documentary.

Let's just say that I'd go traveling with 78-year-old Tobias Schneebaum any time. Keep the River On Your Right is an absolutely fascinating, if a bit rambling documentary about the past (and present) adventures of mild-mannered gay Manhattan artist and historian Tobias Schneebaum. This is a travel documentary that takes us to places where most of us would never dream of going, yet at the same time happens to find a guide that is just about more interesting than the destinations themselves.

Brother and sister directors David and Laurie Gwen Shapiro decided they wanted to make a film together, but they just needed a subject. While dumpster diving in New York City, they came across an older book called "Keep the River On Your Right", a very personal travelogue of one man's journey into the jungles of Peru, and his brush with cannibalism. From the way he wrote, they figured if he was still alive, the author Mr. Schneebaum would still be living in Manhattan. They looked him up in the phone book, and there he was. They had a subject for their movie!

Now an old man, Schneebaum makes a living giving museum tours and lectures on tribal art to college students, and is a lecturer for wealthy vacationers on cruise ships in Indonesia. He is also an expert on the Asmat tribe in Indonesian New Guinea, so the filmmakers take him back to the village where he had lived with the tribe many years earlier. To the delight of Schneebaum, they run into an elderly man that had been his lover while he had lived there, and they have a surprisingly sweet and affectionate reunion.

But the filmmakers have another motive it seems. In a way, these documentarians seem more intent of filming an exposé of "This Is Your Life", and keep insisting on taking him back to Peru, where he had mysteriously fled the jungle after being immersed for a year. Poor Mr. Schneebaum keeps protesting directly to the camera, saying no, he does not ever want to go back to Peru for personal reasons. But of course, before he knows it, they are all in a power boat going up the Amazon to find the tribe he had lived with 45 years earlier. It is obvious that Schneebaum is dreading the whole journey, but despite his apprehensions, you can feel his thrill and anticipation about being back in the jungle after so many years.

Keep the River On Your Right (which was his only instruction on how to find the jungle village 45 years earlier) is a wonderful travel documentary, but an even more fun portrayal of an extremely interesting character and his unusual life. Not only was it fascinating, but it was surprisingly moving to see this quirky elderly man have his life come full circle, so that he could make peace with his past. This film is a must-see for armchair travelers!