Dani Grieving

This is a scene from the film wherein the word “family” was mentioned, causing Dani to spiral into a depressive state. Dani’s parents and sister died right before she went on this trip, which put her in a state of emotional vulnerability. This results in Dani being the perfect lonely target, especially because her relationship was also hitting a rough patch. Prior to this frame, Dani was with Christian and his friends and they had all just consumed “mushroom water” which caused them to hallucinate among other things. The theme of substance use arises multiple times throughout the film, as the villagers continuously gave the newcomers drugged beverages to detach them from reality. Being put under the influence of drugs impacted Dani particularly because her static confused and vulnerable state led to her defeat. From what the audience knows about her, she no longer has any family or friends left, which is a crucial detail. Her relationship with Christian is also on the rocks, and this leaves her with nobody to fall back on. Dani’s character in the film portrays how ideal unattached people are to recruit into cults.