Review of Encounters at the End of the World (2007) by Viginti T — 12 Nov 2009

Werner Herzog's documentaries have always existed in a realm instantly distinct from those others around him, and from his own fictional works however they still maintain a certain consistency with these pieces through a shared use of themes and philosophy. Herzog chooses not to simply tell us tangible facts or to reduce the grand foreign lands down to common comprehensible narratives, instead he manages to simply question the habitats surrounding him and through that question us the viewer and the humanity surrounding us. Another of Herzog's unique approaches to nature is his use of science fiction as a framing device; he paints every landscape like an alien world and its inhabitants as creatures strange and freshly discovered; be they seals, starfish or firemen. It is perfectly fitting then that for his latest documentary he chose what is perhaps Earth's final frontier; the most existential and extraterrestrial landscape still available ? but who knows for how long? ? Antarctica.

From the epic stretches of the arctic ice flats to the intimate shots of the flora and fauna that inhabit it , naturally or un, this is a gorgeous looking film and accurately captures all the distinct visuals that the continent offers without ever feeling anything but natural. This combined with the beautiful and bizarre content of the shots works wonderfully to create a suitably strange atmosphere of the unknown. However some of Herzog's points of focus are rather lacking; the humans he chooses to interview are hit and miss and often leave you wanting him to return to the uninhabited, quiet sections of Antarctica secluded from such normality, while a few of the science sections feel tacked on and superfluous to his message . Unfortunately though Herzog himself is this film's biggest flaw, his interviewing style is crass and rather undignified in its exploitation while his narrated observations are insipid and empty leaving the philosophy feeling forced. This is particularly regrettable given that otherwise the images would speak so clearly for themselves because of just how well crafted they are. If he must have a physical presence in the film I would prefer it simply as storyteller rather than guru as he attempts here.

Despite some minor inconsistencies this is yet another fascinating outing from Herzog who to my mind makes the most inherently interesting nature documentaries today and is well worth watching for the scarily sublime underwater scenes alone.