Bruce Parry travels up the Amazon, BBC4

 Amazon with Bruce Parry, BBC 4   April 2024 Dir. Rob Sullivan

I watched Bruce Parry for an hour as he spent time with two isolated tribes in the Amazon forest and some loggers.
I got some appreciation that it’s a vast region in which tribes can remain fairly isolated although their clothes and gadgets show contact with the outside world as does their vulnerability to hepatitis B, originating from contact with prostitutes in the nearest city.
Bruce goes along with whatever the people around him are doing, from balancing on logs in the river to ordeals for men by ant sting.
He does not offer medication for suffering children or suggest that hours chanting over them may not cure them.
It does occasionally cross his mind that the natives may be playing to the camera. He calls the way they laugh at his difficulties ‘having a good sense of humour.’
I don’t hear Bruce asking what about if there’s equality between the sexes, toleration of differences, or acceptance of same sex relationships. He doesn’t find out how decisions are made, or what childcare is like. How do people go out beyond the tribal society and do they ever return?
There’s a great deal of male camaraderie - in fact what it mostly reminds me of is an episode of Top Gear - competition, jeering and public school peculiarities.
 In this Bruce holds up ok, eats, sleeps and after hearty hugs, leaves.