Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale

"I have always lusted after the wild man of Borneo," admits 78-year-old Tobias Schneebaum, an artist and author whose childhood Coney Island fantasies would be partially realized when, after being awarded a Fulbright art grant, he traveled to Peru to paint in 1955. Presumed dead after seven months, Schneebaum eventually stumbled out of the jungle, naked and covered with body paint after having spent a year with the Amarakaire Indians in the Amazon. Later, his travels would carry him to New Guinea, where he lived with the Asmat, an Indonesian tribe whose freely homosexual customs appealed to the gay artist. In this film festival favorite from David and Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Schneebaum is seen lecturing cruise ship audiences on the subjects of Asmat tribal art and culture (his sometime day job), reuniting with a former Asmat lover named Aipit (interesting etiquette tip: the men often greet one another not by shaking hands but by gently grasping each other's testicles), reminiscing with friend Norman Mailer, discussing his Peruvian adventure in archival footage from vintage talk shows (such as The Mike Douglas Show), and--against his protests--finally returning to Peru to confront his personal demons. The subtitle "A Modern Cannibal Tale" refers to Schneebaum's original 1955 sojourn with the Amarakaire, with whom he once ate a "small piece" of human flesh during a cookout (a memory that continues to haunt him). A truly cross-disciplinary work--spanning the subjects of human sexuality, tribal culture, living with indigenous peoples, aging, etc.--Keep the River on Your Right is a somewhat scattershot, but often endearing, tale of a colorful, outspoken, slyly winking semi-exhibitionist's adventures in "going native." Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)