Review of Encounters at the End of the World (2007) by James C — 22 Apr 2009

With plenty of documentaries already existing on the Antarctic and its wildlife, it's not surprising that Herzog instead focuses on the communities of people found there, be they permanent dwellers or transitory.

We do see some native marine and wildlife but this, again, is shown through the perspectives of the researchers as they explain what each new evolutionary or behavioral discovery means to them personally or their particular field in general.

Herzog's dry interviewing style is somewhat tongue in check as he allows these scientists, experts, tradesmen and travelers to rattle on about what has drawn them to this icy world. Clearly not without a sense of humor, he amusingly leaves the cameras rolling for an absurdly long time after the end of an interview but says nothing to the interviewee who appears clearly perplexed at not knowing what they're supposed to do now (sort of like Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross in the last scene of The Graduate).