The film “Encounters At the End of the World” is a beautiful and moving documentary directed by the great Werner Herzog. Opening with an otherworldly image of Herzog’s friend floating underwater beneath a thick ceiling of ice, Herzog turns his lens towards the people, the “dreamers” who travel to the southernmost place where all lines of the map converge in search of science, truth, and the meaning of our existence.
In Antartica, Herzog finds really hardcore travelers and adventurers full of thrilling stories, are thirsty for true freedom, and have the unreal fortitude to survive under difficult conditions.
There are encounters with scientists who dive deep below the ice shelf, ecologists who study seal milk, volcanologists who stand at the edge of lava pits as well as philosopher/forklift drivers and former money men in search of their soul. The surreal underwater recording of the seals calling to each other is reason enough to see this film.
But, for all the raw, stunning imagery and meditations on nature, there is a dire warning about the fate of this planet and the place humans have on it. It may be cold outside here in New York City, but the scientists and realists in even colder Antartica are absolutely clear about the consequences of global warming.
Despite that, I felt a bit of optimism about our future while watching the people who work and play in this harshly rugged environment committing themselves fully to the realization of our humanity.
It took me a while to get around to seeing this film, but now that I have I’m ready to see it again.
i slept on this when it came out. tnx for it! really want to see it now