We Are Guardians: A Powerful Documentary on the Fight to Save the Amazon Rainforest

Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the stirring eco-documentary “We Are Guardians” tackles one of the planet’s most urgent environmental crises: the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Despite the vastness of the topic, directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman manage to explore this complex issue comprehensively in just over 80 minutes — not by oversimplifying, but by contrasting the apocalyptic scale of the problem with the complexity of its solutions.

The facts speak loudly. Climate scientist Luciana Gatti explains how the Amazon serves as the world’s greatest carbon absorber and rain provider, making its destruction an existential threat to humanity. From a personal perspective, Indigenous activist Puyr Tembé, from Brazil’s Alto Rio Guama territory, shares her people’s centuries-long defense against colonizers. Indigenous communities, though only 5% of the global population, protect 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. Tragically, since 2014, over 600 volunteer Forest Guardians have been murdered by illegal loggers.

From his village of Zutiwa, Marçal Guajajara, the group’s Regional Coordinator, mourns each fallen tree as a life lost. But fighting illegal logging goes beyond forest patrols. These companies are backed by corruption in the Bolsonaro administration, funded by an international banking consortium, and depend on exploited local workers who have no alternatives.

One such worker, Valdir Duarte, acknowledges the moral complexity of his role. Forced to leave school at eight to support his family, Duarte has little choice but to work for the loggers. Landowners like Tadeu Fernandes, devoted to ecological preservation, show little sympathy, sometimes threatening violence against illegal loggers.

The documentary clearly identifies the heroes — the Indigenous communities fighting to save the rainforest — and underscores their effectiveness. The film closes with a QR code, encouraging viewers to take action. Its message is that moral clarity and small victories can accumulate into sweeping change.

Although much of the film consists of interviews, a standout moment is Tembé’s tense confrontation with Indigenous açaí thieves, defused by her reminder that their actions harm themselves as well.

While “We Are Guardians” covers a broad scope and cannot fully detail every encounter, it powerfully suggests that individuals still hold the power to protect the planet. This message is reinforced by recent political shifts, including Bolsonaro’s defeat and the election of several Indigenous representatives.

The film honors the centuries-long work of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples and calls on everyone to join the fight — because saving the Amazon is a global responsibility.

Grade: B-

“We Are Guardians” will be released in NYC theaters by Area 23a on Friday, July 11.