The Last Shaman

a fascinating and sometimes terrifying introduction to ayahuasca.

Often suffers from hazy storytelling, but its real difficulty for many viewers will be its protagonist, who isn't the most sympathetic proxy for Americans curious about the plant extract's suitability to treat depression.

It's possible to have doubts about ayahuasca (which, we learn, has been increasingly commercialized) and still find Mr. Freeman's resolve uplifting.

At once superficial and overblown, this documentary also often feels downright phony ...

You don't actually have to sample Ayahuasca, "the worst thing I've ever tasted," to smell the BS in this indulgent, unscientific quest for the latest fad cure

The Last Shaman falls victim to its own ambition, providing merely a brief introduction to the complex topics ... wrapped up in its subject's intriguing quest.

Absurdly self-indulgent, sophomoric look at an American youth trying to save his tortured soul in the Third World.

Tragic hipster indulges in the tribal Amazonian divine. Credulous, sophomoric garbage full of the slick salesmanship of a vaguely spiritual sneaker commercial.

This could have been a great film if Degan had focused on that dichotomy and not just served up propaganda targeted at the credulous seeker.