Being an early 20th century explorer might sound like an exciting occupation, but numerous films throughout the history of cinematography show otherwise. The Lost City of Z is one of them and in it Charlie Hunnam shows yet again that the drive for exploration often comes from dark emotional spaces and at a massive personal cost. In the case of the historical figure of Major Percival Fawcett which he presents, the cost gradually became more and more severe.
Through his desire to find an ancient civilization in the South American jungle - or anything else worthwhile for that matter - Fawcett saw no obstacles and deemed no price too high. The beauty and dangers of the same region are constantly underlined in the film, but so is their fleeting presence, which is more of a symbol than an actual place. Through that, Fawcett is also slowly but surely lost in an environment more akin to a dream than the real world. The end result, sadly, both in fiction in reality, was a resounding tragedy, but one that still provided the world with some meaning and Fawcett’s life with a legacy he so desperately craved.
