Review of A Map For Saturday (2007) by Carl P — 07 Aug 2011

If you've ever been travelling you will immediately see why A Map For Saturday is one of the best films ever made, after all you would have experienced everything you are watching at one point. Let's not forget, this is a documentary so everything you witness is real, not a well written script.

Brook is a successful man, but just like every backpacker there is something missing in his life. As such he decides to quit his well paid job and travel for a year. Obviously his family and friends don't get it, but as we all know they never will. All the same he leaves his home in America and headed to Australia, Asia, Europe and South America on an inspirational trip. Brook captures the feelings every backpacker goes through by experiencing them first hand - the anxiety, loneliness, tears and moments of joy are all here, all accompanied by the beautiful scenery that this world offers. To call this film a masterpiece is an understatement.

This film does have one very serious flaw though, and that is in the sense that any self respecting travel addict will want to dig out their backpack the second the credits start to roll. But that just shows how powerful the draw of the world is, and A Map For Saturday expertly shows this to the viewer. If you've ever been curious about the world and wanted to see more of it, this film should be the first thing you watch as it shows the good and bad sides of things equally. If, like me, you've done it before and want to do it again, this will certainly rekindle that burning desire to get out there and start experiencing it again with your new found '5 minute friends'.