Encounters at the End of the World

Life Through Movies #11

Welcome, everyone. Here at Life Through Movies we explore the conversation that comes from living and watching movies.
Today we ask: What is it about being at the southernmost point? What's so special about it?

Once in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, my wife and I are looking at the snowy peaks ahead. Early, maybe 8am.

Dipped in a hot pool on top of a hill, squeezing the last drop of the day pass at Arakur, a hotel with the best views in town. We're reflecting on our sui generis honeymoon, mixed with grueling trekkings into the Amazon and Patagonia, and staying for longer periods in a few cities.
A woman comes in the pool, we nod and smile at her, and get our hypnotized gazes back to the mountains. We whisper some more reflections and laugh at recently created anecdotes.

Maybe all this transpired, because when we move around the pool and as we're passing next to the woman she says You know, you have something special. Cherish this unique moments together, there are very few and you will remember them for the rest of your life. We mumble a Thank you as she starts to tear up and walk away.
A fleeting and unforgettable moment, fueled by the place and situation.

There's an aura of mystery in these fringe places, which attracts a special breed of people. The filmmaker Werner Herzog knows this all too well, exploring the topic in his documentary Encounters at the End of the World. He traveled to Antarctica, interviewing people living there, while showing us around and teaching us some history of this unique place.

Why are people drawn to extreme weathers and conditions? To such faraway, secluded places? Is it to get away from humans, to start a new life?

We find some answers among the eclectic people interviewed, that include an iceberg geologist, a volcanologist and a philosopher, who all explain their story and worldview. 

There’s an implicit thread of curiosity being their reason to be there. Curiosity to explore every last corner of earth, dive into the unknown and come out with something unexpected.

There’s no urge in them to conquer, but more to understand an enigmatic place, yielding answers about our world, and probably about them too.

As the film progresses, we get into more metaphysical and speculative territory, while seeing some of the most unique footage on earth, ranging from underwater sounds of seals to ice tunnels with caviar, all narrated by Herzog’s thick and now classic German accent.

One scene that will forever stay with me involves a penguin marching away from his colony into the inland, never coming back. Even if brought back to his group, he would immediately head out again.
“But why?”, asks Herzog.
The question lingers.

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LOOK OUT FOR:

• The interviews. A big job of a director involves guiding people on camera to get the best out of them, or what’s needed for the film. In this case, Werner Herzog would sometimes meet the interviewees minutes before filming, having no time to prepare or rehearse with them. He uses unexpected questions, silence and just lingering with the camera to get the weird and authentic out of people.

• The impressive landscapes, both above and below the ice. This documentary deserves to be watched on the best screen you have

• If you're feeling adventurous and want to dive deeper into Herzog’s philosophy, pair this documentary with A Guide for the Perplexed, a series of interviews where his interesting outlook on film and life is laid out

Screenshot from the movie