Jungle Rudy (2006)

Directed by: Rob Smits | 90 minutes | documentary | Starring: Rudy Truffino (Jungle Rudy), Gabriela Truffino de Jimenez, Eliane Truffino Koppenwalner, Sabina Truffino Koppenwalner, Juan Gabriel Truffino de Jimenez, Edith Vavken

Filmmaker Rob Smits became fascinated in 2001 by stories he heard about Jungle Rudy, son of a banker from The Hague and raised in luxury, who sought adventure in South America before he was twenty. Rudy Truffino wanted to put it all behind him and for much of his life it looks like he could. He sets out on his own and comes to places where no other human has set foot. When he is saved from starvation by a small Indian tribe near the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, his life changes. He decides to settle down as a guide and establishes a camp near the waterfall, Ucaima, where the richest of the earth can spend their holidays. He is visited by Prince Charles, Prince Bernard, director Werner Herzog, astronaut Neil Armstrong and Empress Farah Dibah, among others. He also meets an Austrian tourist, Gerti. The two fall in love and get married. A typical comment Rudy makes in a letter to his father is “She is not beautiful. At least I don’t think so.”

By following in the footsteps of Jungle Rudy, Rob Smits wanted to find out what drove the man and what influence he had on the people around him. Rudy’s second daughter, Gaby, who still runs the holiday camp, has fully cooperated with the director. We hear tape recordings, letters – sometimes very personal – are read (by Fedja van Huêt, among others) and we see original films starring Rudy and his family. It is clear that Rudy wanted to immortalize his life. His diary-like tape recordings are fascinating to hear, sometimes unintentionally comical, because he could go on for a long time about trivial points. Smits has chosen to accompany these sound recordings with calm images that do not distract the viewer’s attention. And so it’s not at all strange to look at a close-up of an egg being fried for a while.

The images of beautiful Venezuela are breathtaking. With helicopter view shots, Smits tries to overwhelm the viewer with the beauty of the table mountains and he succeeds. Rudy’s life is very intriguing. The man arouses a sense of admiration, envy perhaps, but also aversion and pity. He was self-centered and introverted and especially his attitude during the period in which he and Gerti split up, does not earn him bonus points with the viewer. However, the scene in which Gerti’s girlfriend, Edith Vavken, talks about his reaction to Gerti’s death, is again very emotional and after that the feeling of pity remains. All in all, the documentary ‘Jungle Rudy’ has become a successful family portrait, which provides a fascinating picture of life in a small paradise on earth, which unfortunately can also turn into hell. Recommended.