Becoming the Chullachaqui

Amazonian myth tells of a creature that lives deep in the forest. One that will lure you into the darkness, take your place, and return to your own life as you. But it will be hollow, lost in time, with no memory. The Chullachaqui. I saw this myth as something akin to a condition of my own, dissociation. I would often try to explain to people what it felt like. I said that I felt like I was the skin that the snake had shed. After watching Ciro Guerra's film Embrace of the Serpent, in which he explores the myth of the Chullachaqui, I realised I was not alone. I was there too. Through five contemporary documentaries - The Act of Killing, Waltz With Bashir, Casting JonBenet, Theatre of War and The Missing Picture - I delve further into this myth and explore how film can portray dissociation, loss of memory, and whether you can ever return from becoming your Chullachaqui.