“Transamazonia” begins with an impressive scene in which ants swarm around a child's hand. It is the hand of little Rebecca, the only one to survive a plane crash in the Amazon. Nine years later, Rebecca is known to the indigenous people as “Miss Aspirin”, a healer who sees herself as an instrument of Jesus Christ and is supported by her missionary father. Together they hold ecstatic masses in the Brazilian jungle. Their goal is to live in harmony with the indigenous people, but when two brothers threaten the indigenous people's habitat through illegal deforestation, a dangerous conflict ensues. Pia Marais' screenplay focuses on the complex relationships and moral dilemmas of the protagonists. The intimate father-daughter dynamic gradually gives way to a wider view of the political structure of indigenous people and white missionaries. “Transamazonia” questions the boundaries of the so-called ‘white-savior’ complex. The deeper Rebecca and her father intervene in the conflict, the clearer it becomes that they are pursuing their own colonial ambitions. In addition to these ambitious themes, the ensemble is particularly impressive, especially the charismatic Helena Zengel in the leading role. As Werner Herzog once did in “Fitzcarraldo”, Pia Marais succeeds in capturing the darkness of the South American jungle in impressive cinematic images. “Transamazonia” celebrated its world premiere in competition at the Locarno Film Festival.