This article contains major spoilers for the Tragic Jungle ending. You can check out our spoiler-free review by clicking these words.
After a longer than necessary shot of a man cutting down a tree, Tragic Jungle starts slow until it switches to Agnes (played by Indira Rubie Andrewin) wandering through the jungle. She’s with her sister Florence (played by Shantai Obispo) and their guard Norm (played by Cornelius McLaren).
On the run from an estranged marriage with the horrible Cacique (played by Dale Carley), Florence thinks that Agness should have stayed. Just as Agnes falls asleep, and anyone watching for that matter, Cacique finds them and shoots in their direction. With both Florence and Norm dying, Agnes continues deeper into the woods until she passes out.
She’s found by a group of gum workers whom, fascinated by her clothes and believing that she must be a nurse or doctor, take her captive. Whether they are here to help her or cause more trouble, the audience is unaware as for now.
For much of Tragic Jungle, Anges stays with them and wanders further around the jungle. Tragically, one of the gum workers falls to his death. It must be noted, that as he falls to his death, he never screamed. Was this done to maintain the low-key nature the film has had throughout? Or did his lack of horror reflect his thoughts as he fell to his death?
Now tied up and gagged, Agnes is led further through the jungle by the Gum Workers. They keep an observant eye out as they travel through, seemingly ensuring no wildlife is ready to attack them. As many of the shots in the film have shown, there’s plenty of crocodiles. Or maybe, they’re keeping a close eye out for their boss. After deciding to sell the gum for themselves, their boss is bound to inflect damage if he found out they were ripping him off.
Further along in the woods, the Gum Workers hear a noise and fear that their boss has found them. Indeed their fear is understandable. The last time their boss was ripped off, he had men tied up to a tree and fed to live animals.
Switching roles, a silent but more content Agnes leads the Gum Workers further down the jungle. Except one. He states in a voiceover, “No one who followed Xtabay ever came back”.
Of course, Cacique is back on the scene and sails through the river looking for Agnes. As the rain pours, it makes a beautiful visual.
With Agnes nowhere in sight, shots are fired by Cacique. The surviving Gum Workers believe it’s their boss and prepare themselves for a shootout. Cacique kills all of the gang members. Finally, unable to get what he came for, he travels back through the jungle. It’s assumed that he has given up on his quest to force Agnes back to him.
The Tragic Jungle ending closes on Agnes emerging from the jungle’s river and it is heavily implied that she is the Xtabay Woman. She cradles one of the gang members, Ruben, and then goes underwater with him. Unable to resist her charms, it is very likely that he, just like the other gang members, is going to die.
Although Tragic Jungle is only over 90 minutes in length, it in fact feels a lot longer. There’s little action within Tragic Jungle and with shots that are above anything too long and slow, it quite possibly may not be enough for audiences not to switch off. It may also have helped if, instead of sailing away through the river, Cacique had been subject to a death that was as horrible as his character.
