A British Army Veteran Finds Peace in Peru's Rainforest in Prime Video Documentary Wildcat
A British army veteran seeks peace — and forms an unlikely bond with an ocelot — in the rainforests of Peru in Prime Video's upcoming documentary Wildcat.
In a preview of the film exclusive to PEOPLE, the documentary's subject, Afghanistan war veteran Harry Turner, unpacks his life's journey after he was discharged from the British military and diagnosed "with recurrent depression and PTSD."
"After Afghanistan, I struggled so badly," Turner further explains in the clip via voiceover, while footage shows him riding a boat along a river. "I felt that life wasn't worth living and maybe I should just pack up all my things and just go where no one knows where I am, no one knows if I'm alive, no one knows if I'm dead."
In the clip, Turner says that his life "really took a turn" when he met PhD candidate Samantha Zwicker, who works with wildlife in the rainforest.
"When I came across Harry, he was extremely misunderstood. This boy who went to war instead of going to college, which is what a lot of people see when they look at him," Zwicker says in the clip. "But I obviously saw something super special in him. He spent his time in the jungle volunteering and helping me with this greater cause."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Trevor Frost Wildcat (2022)
In the film, the army vet gets hands-on with an ocelot in need. "Carrying this sloth on my back through the jungle," Turner tells a handheld camera as he walks with a sloth in a carrier. "Gonna get him back, give him some food, put him back up a tree."
And he found comfort in his company. "Sam could have easily stayed at home and just studied at university," Turner adds in a voiceover. "it would be usual. But she was out there in the jungle physically doing it."
"Suffering from depression and PTSD after a tour in Afghanistan, British Army veteran Harry Turner intends to take his own life in the Amazon rainforest far from his family and home," an official synopsis reads. "But once there, he meets Samantha Zwicker, an American scientist with a plan to return an orphaned ocelot to the wild for the first time."
"Falling in love with the kitten and Samantha, Harry agrees to act as surrogate parent to the ocelot, teaching him to hunt, defend himself, and, most importantly, become wild and leave Harry behind," the synopsis adds. "While Samantha heals from her own traumatic past, Harry will have to wrestle with his internal demons if he and the cat are to survive."
Trevor Frost Wildcat (2022)
Turner tells PEOPLE of participating in the documentary, "My life is slightly different than most, but I want people to walk away knowing they're not alone."
"The film touches on themes that will resonate with everyone on some level — from their love of animals to struggling with mental illness," he adds.
He adds that the ocelot at the center of the film, Keanu, has been released back into the wild since production on the project wrapped.
"It would be almost impossible to know where he is now because he doesn't wear a tracking collar," Turner tells PEOPLE. "I'm hoping that he has moved on to a different territory and has created his own ocelot family."
Trevor Frost Wildcat (2022)
RELATED: Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks Are Making a Documentary About John Candy: "Expect Tears"
When asked what he would tell men who feel hesitant about seeking help for their mental health, Turner says, "Some men might be ashamed to feel vulnerable and seek help. I encourage them to seek a support system that feels right for them."
He adds, "For me, being in nature has been the best mental-health support. Eventually I hope to help veterans with mental-health issues, possibly by bringing them into the jungle so they can feel what I felt."
The film was directed by documentary filmmaker Melissa Lesh, founder of production company Emerging Earth Films, and former National Geographic and Washington Post photojournalist Trevor Frost. Wildcat is produced by Alysa Nahmias of AJNA Films and Joshua Altman of Harmonium Pictures.
Wildcat will premiere in theaters on Dec. 21. and begin streaming globally on Prime Video Dec. 30.
