It’s not hard to picture ancient Egyptian gods, speaking in deep voices about life and death while taking on animal forms, if you’ve spent time exploring places like Karnak or Luxor. One of these would be a hippo, and even though he probably wasn't called "Pepe," his thoughts would center around the connection between hippos and humans, other animals, and—rather strangely—his journey to Colombia, where he’s now facing soldiers who want to stop him from causing problems for people living by the river. The contrast of religion works well because the film itself combines drama with a nature documentary style. Taking place in both Colombia, where hippos aren't native, and Namibia, where they are more common, we follow two separate stories that show the beauty and danger of these massive creatures—around three tons each—in their natural habitats, as well as some human storylines that provoke laughter and discomfort, particularly in South America. The film begins and ends in Colombia. Local fishermen repeatedly complain to the river inspector about a huge monster in the water, but their stories are so unbelievable and inconsistent that he suspects they’ve had too much tequila. His wife feels the same way. Throughout this, there's more poetic commentary, spoken in African languages, from the perspective of a hippo who knows he doesn’t belong where he is or how long he will survive. Does he want to mourn his fate or accept it? It doesn’t really make sense according to any standard definition, but it's strangely captivating for about an hour as we observe animals that don’t need or want humans interfering in their lives or environments. "Pepe" isn't a danger to anyone if left alone, and even though we rarely see him swimming in the Magdalene River, you can feel a certain peaceful spirituality coming from him—it's quite powerful. Then, for some reason, the film shifts away from the hippos and focuses on people, and while watching the bickering couple argue about what they saw is amusing, the human parts mostly become a distraction. There’s one particularly long beauty contest where contestants are asked how they would improve their community and what their dreams are, but none of them mention "Pepe" or even world peace! It goes on for too long at times, and feels somewhat aimless, but—and I can't really explain why—I did find myself drawn into the life of this giant animal, and despite the film’s confusing beginning (be cautious if you are sensitive to flashing lights), I did appreciate it.

Source on TMDB