Sunday, June 12, 2011
ALL WET
Today's film was the documentary
This film is insane. The guy, a compusive overachiever, alcoholic and "professional" gambler is also a long river swimmer. For real.
He has swum the Yangtze (putrid), the Mississippi and now attempts to conquer the Amazon. The longest river.
There is some stuff in here about doing it for a statement about environmentalism. I think that is not really what is happening. This guy is seized by a personal ambition and goes for it.
He is quite a character. Bigger than life. Quite watchable.
We see most of the Amazon trip. At the end, he is victorious but also out of his mind. Hallucinations. Exhaustion.
I know this all sounds fucked up and it is but this couple went along and made a wonderful documentary out of the whole thing.
It is very powerful. The expanse and the limits of human endurance.
A guy who is just likeable at any level. Even when he is nuts.
I wouldn't want to watch it again. It was like doing the swimming myself. I had trouble getting rid of my sea legs after it was over.
A 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
