Encounters At The End Of The World

Synopsis: Acclaimed director Werner Herzog heads off to Antarctica.to document undersea wonders, active volcanoes, penguins, and the vast frozen wilderness. But of equal interest is the motley collection of individuals he meets. Amongst it all Herzog speculates upon the origins and ultimate fate of our planet and generally muses about all manner of intriguing things.

Nominated for an Academy Award this year, Encounters At The End Of The World is a documentary that is extremely hard to classify, or even begin to describe, so far-reaching is its thrust. Don’t be deluded into thinking it is merely a nature documentary – even though aspects of it are – it is something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts!

Herzog takes us under the ice in impressive scenes which have an almost religious connotation giving rise to his calling the underwater space a frozen cathedral. He introduces us to tiny but fearsome creatures as he speculates that perhaps life first crawled out of the oceans to escape these horrific predators. The camera accompanies divers who dynamite holes in the ice then go below in thermal suits, and without tethers, trusting they will find their way back up. He tours McMurdo station, bemoaning its ugliness and the trappings of Western life, like ATMs, which have arrived there. He shows us old footage of the Shackleton expedition and muses upon the nature of adventure. He accompanies vulcanologists to the edge of Mt Erebus, one of only three active volcanoes on Earth, where, rather freakily, one can observe the molten lava below the earth’s crust. He visits scientists researching Weddell seals, as well as a penguin researcher at a remote colony. All the while Herzog narrates in a chatty, informative and often amusing style.

Yet beneath this narrative the director touches upon deep philosophical issues and we get the sense that somehow he is investigating both the origins of life on earth and possibly the demise of humans. In one memorable scene we see one tiny lone penguin who simply wanders off from the pack, inexplicably heading inland to certain death. The bird seems emblematic of the human condition, even of our own impending demise.

Herzog’s films often celebrate people drawn to the extremes of adventure and the people he encounters in Antactica all fit the bill. They are wonderful characters, all trying to escape the everyday world and each of them has a unique story, one of whom resonantly observes that anyone not tied down simply drifts to the bottom of the world, to Antarctica.

With its marvellous, inspiring music, fascinating characters (both animal and human), and splendid scenery, this film left me with plenty to ponder on and a renewed sense of the marvel of our planet as well as the stupidity of its human inhabitants.

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