Review of Encounters at the End of the World (2007) by Dave L — 27 Jun 2009
Werner Herzog and cameraman had off to Antarctica to film its inhabitants, both animal and human. It's unfocused, and Herzog doesn't find much to say about the people who choose to live on one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, but there's still some incredible footage here.
I'm thinking of the volcano scenes towards the end...the bizarre marine life that Herzog finds living under the ice of the South Pole, straight from any sci-fi movie...and of course, the signature scene of a suicidal penguin breaking away from the safety of its colony and heading out into the frozen wastes, there to meet certain destruction.
It's a brilliant moment that almost sums up the whole of Herzog's career: where other documentarians would just concentrate on filming the normal penguins, Herzog immediately focuses on the odd one out, the lone maverick, the madman set on a blind course for self-destruction.
In that sense, "Encounters" probably says more about its creator than anything to do with Antarctica.
This review of Encounters at the End of the World (2007) was written by Dave L on 27 Jun 2009.
Encounters at the End of the World has generally received very positive reviews.
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