Not just another "fluffy penguin movie."

Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog, 2007)

Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog's take on Antarctica, is one of the finest documentaries I've ever seen. Not only does it do an excellent job of showing us that wondrous land that's been labeled "Antarctica," but, in typical Herzogian fashion, it goes beyond just what we see on the screen, into profound human truths. Consider, for example, the wonderful sequence at the penguin colony. After asking the reclusive penguin expert if there are any insane penguins, he cuts to a shot of a group of penguins. About half of the penguins are waddling away towards the sea, while the other half is going back to the colony. There's only one left the middle; he can't decide which way to go. In the midst of his indecision, Herzog tell us, he decides to head towards the mountains, some 10000 kilometers away.

While it's an utter delight to watch that lone penguin steadily making his way towards the distant hills, Herzog doesn't leave us happy for too long. In the final moment of the scene, he tells us that the penguin will starve and die. Whether this is true or not is immaterial - here is the crux of Herzog documentaries. In his documentaries, from Lessons of Darkness to Little Dieter Needs to Fly to this, he is far less interested in realism than in metaphor, and what the metaphor implies. The metaphor, here, I think, is that the whole group of penguins represents us. We go our different ways in the world; that is the penguins that go to the ocean and those that go back to the colony. And then there's the lone penguin. He gives representation to those who came down to the bottom of the world. He's caught between the ways of the world, and he tumbles into that opportunistic and hopelessly idealistic vision of the mountains. Let me continue.

Throughout the movie, we're presented with the eclecticism of the people down under (not Australia ;-)). They're described as "professional dreamers," if my memory serves me well. A computer expert says his dream is to be able to stand on an iceberg and feel which way it's moving. There were other examples I'm afraid I don't remember so well. As another interview subject says, everybody just tumbled down there. Everybody is looking for that special dream that they can't find anywhere else in the world. In such is the penguins idealistic idea: his mountain range is our Antarctica. It's a wonderful metaphor.

Don't let all my pretentious posturing fool you. It's not a heavy handed movie by any mark. It happens to be one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. In many interviews, Herzog's narration cuts off whoever's talking, saying "And they just go on and on..." And then there's the welder obsessively pleased with his hands, which have fingers that are exactly equal in length. I guess it's a big deal for some people.

Leaving room for Herzog's even finer Lessons of Darkness, this is almost the finest documentary I've ever seen. It really gives a personality to everyone working down there; it's hypnotically beautiful; it's strange; it's moving; it's hilarious. Outstanding.