Dark Amazon

- Don't people say Kleenex... - Isn't that the truth?

Oh and band-aid?

And band-aid!

Yeah, like, those are, those are just...

Sanitary bandage?

No, they're just adhesive bandages or something like that.

Adhesive bandages.

- I totally made that up. - No it's true, I think.

- But tissues... - Band-aids are something else.

Sanitary bandages sound...

You getting started right away, huh, bud?

Man who loves his job. Get the shot no matter what the cost.

Yeah, you're not in the way right there at all.

Hang on, let me get out of the way. Sorry.

Smell of the Amazon.

Is that what that is? I thought it was gasoline. And cigarettes.

Oh my God. That was a really long flight.

- All right, you ready? - Time to get to work!

Are you guys hungry? Should we get some food?

Yes, starving.

Do you think we could, like relax the rest of the day today?

Yeah, I just want to show you guys around before we get to the jungle.

- Yeah, totally. It's perfect. - I know.

There's the theater...

They brought everything from Europe.

I can tell.

That's really beautiful.

I'm really impressed that they have power and...

- ...telephones. - Oh my God.

- What do you mean? - Well, I wasn't expecting that.

Wow, look at this.

I love this market. Can we stop?

Yeah, that totally makes your eyes pop.

All right. Sold.

Sold.

He's like, I'm outta here. See?

- See? Terrible right? - Yeah.

Piranha. 3-D. Sort of.

Is that an ant?

Are we gonna see ants that are actually that big?

These are way too big.

Heh, heh, that's scary.

- Did you see this? - Hate to break it up...

...but we gotta get going if we wanna get to the boat on time.

Really? Ah, okay.

Come on.

Cracking that whip.

When we get up I'll get your bag.

Oh!

- We're good? - Thanks, Jay.

All right, are you guys ready?

- I guess so. - Don't be nervous.

Yeah, look at me. Ignore this.

Well, John green is really the one responsible...

for this discovery.

He's been living in the Amazon for the last 15 years.

When I was 12 years old, my mother passed away of cancer.

And John raised me.

He's been a constant inspiration to me, and really...

The reason why I went into the research field.

I'm thrilled to work with the Brazilian government, being Brazilian myself.

and I'm hoping this research will shed some light into future funding

and partnership with Brazil.

Do you wanna say something about the company?

- No, I'm good. - You sure?

You good? That was great.

Really?

I'm the queen of the world!

Oh, man. You just out-gayed yourself.

This is our amazing producer hard at work.

You guys suck.

Mina!

Mina!

That must be John. That's so cute.

Mina!

- Oh, wow, is it beautiful. - Oh, yeah.

Mina! Oh, mina!

Have you lost some weight? You look great!

I'm fine.

- Guys, this is John! - Hi!

- That's Nikki. - Hi.

- I'm Nikki. It's so nice to meet you. - And that's Jay.

- This is Robby back here. - Hey, how's it goin'?

- You know Ben. - And Ben!

Hey, look it's an Amazon stair-master.

- Oh, look at the little kids! - So cute.

This is the Paje. He's the shaman of the village.

He's welcoming us and inviting us to a ritual this evening.

And this is Rafael, the Paje's son and my right-hand man here in the jungle.

My English not so good. So, nice to meet you all.

Hey, John what's this ritual?

Well, the ritual is for anhangá, who is a spirit protector of the forest.

This is Esteves. He's our liaison with the Brazilian government.

He worked in the Peruvian Amazon and he's an invaluable member of our team.

Hi. How are you? I'm Brazilian.

- Hi, how are you? - My name is mina.

Esteves.

Guys be serious for 20 minutes.

- Hey, mina? - Yeah?

They all seem kinda weird about us. They're staring. Are you sure it's okay?

Oh, yeah, they just get a little cautious about outsiders...

Are you sure?

- Yeah, they'll be fine. - Okay.

And I'm sorry about Ben.

Yeah! Is everything okay with you two?

He's just very stressed out. He's, um...

His last clinical trial didn't go so well. But, don't say anything.

No, of course not. Are you guys okay?

- We're fine. Yes. - Okay.

Just try to shoot around him. He's not crazy about it.

Yeah, of course.

- Jay's gonna Mike you. - Okay.

Just keep it on at all times okay?

Okay, what else? Oh, did you bring your camera?

- I think so, yeah. - Okay, cool.

I want you to do some video diaries at night.

What is that?

Um, like, literally a diary into the camera.

Just talk about, you know, like, your feelings

or your thoughts about what's happened.

- Is this a reality... - No, it's not reality.

No, I think it'll give it a more intimate feel to the doc, you know.

Okay.

Probably won't even use any of it, but I figure...

Better to have too much footage than too little.

- Okay, I will do that. - Cool, thanks.

Okay, I don't care what anyone says, do not stop rolling okay?

Unless I say cut, do not stop rolling.

And 3, 2, 1.

Scientists believe that there are

10s of 1000s of undiscovered plants...

Animals and insects in the Amazon rainforest.

New discoveries are found each year.

From 1999 to 2009 alone, 1200 new species were discovered.

Like the chupacabra?

Cut! Robby are you serious?

What? I was watching the nature channel...

They had a special about the chupacabra, it was really fascinating.

Yeah, that's fascinating, just let me

record this while I have it in my head. Guys!

Okay, sorry.

I know it's been a long day. We're almost done.

Rolling.

It's estimated that about 70% of the most effective cancer treatments...

are derived from enzymes found exclusively in the Amazon.

And now with the discovery of the enzyme derived from the kambo frog,

we may finally have a cure.

Can we go back now?

I think we should do one more take.

- That was great. - That was golden.

So, ask away. Anything.

Well, we're going to go find a good spot for the interview.

All righty.

- All right, let's go do that. - Cool.

Like, one minute, John.

I first became interested in the power of the

enzyme when I participated in a ritual...

where the kambo frog skin enzyme is inserted...

under the peoples skin before they go hunting.

Well, being a scientist, I'd study the enzyme.

And what I found out is, it's a powerful immunity booster...

That they use it for other diseases and inflammation.

So, I study how the enzyme reacted with cancer cells.

And, well, here we are now on the verge of a cure.

What was the hardest thing during your research process?

Actually, the hardest part was finding the frogs.

See, they're very rare. And their migration patterns have shifted...

Due to all the environmental changes.

Fortunately, with the help of the paje and the tribe...

We've been able to get all the samples we needed.

Can I speak in Portuguese?

Oh, that's good.

John is a serious man. He is not one of those foreigners.

Who comes to Brazil to research and steal our knowledge,

which is called biopiracy.

People who come here to just take and give nothing back.

But not John. John thinks just like me...

That we can create possibilities

that will benefit mankind without harming nature.

We also have a lot to learn from the indigenous people.

There is a need for international support,

Brazilian support and this partnership.

A unity that is pro-humanity,

to find cures for our diseases.

To the tribe, anhangá is spirit protector of the forest.

The flame represents his fiery eyes.

They say you hear a whistle when he's nearby.

The cures for all diseases are here in the forest.

Everything is connected. You and me. The forest.

When we learn to become one again and respect each other.

We will cure all the ailments...

In the world.

That is all.

Oh, my stuff!

What happened?

Where's my equipment?

Oh, geez.