A documentary look at some of the people working down in Antarctica, as well as the animals above and below the ice.

CRITIQUE

Encounters At The End of the World is director Werner Herzog’s documentary look at Antarctica, focusing not only on some of the people who are there, but on the beautiful vistas as well.  The result is a little unfocused; the documentary bounces around from idea to idea, without ever making much of a point.  Still, some of the nature footage is beautiful, and there is enough of interest here to make this a satisfying-enough film.

Herzog narrates the film, which does help bring his POV to it.  He is fascinated by the question of what brought all of these quirky people to the southernmost area of the world, while it is rather eye-opening to see how many people there are in the area in warmer temperatures; a lot of the filming was done during the summer, and the area a lot of the people are in looks like it could be small town Montana.

Still, the interviews with the people there lacks anything that is really all that striking, and the movie really only comes to life when it ventures into the natural world.  Sequences filmed under the ice are particularly fascinating, from the odd sea creatures on display to the icy stalactites extending down from below the ice.

A bit on penguins and the tendency of some to wander off toward oblivion is also memorable, while a bit on a volcano is also interesting.  The result feels a bit patchwork, but for anyone with interest in this part of the world, this has things that are intriguing and eye-opening.

THE VIDEO

Encounters At The End of the World is presented in its 1.78:1 theatrical aspect ratio, enhanced for 16x9 TVs.  The picture quality is generally very good, particularly the nature footage.

THE AUDIO

Encounters At The End of the World is presented in English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are English and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

There is a Commentary by Werner Herzog, producer Henry Kaiser and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger that is chatty in a generally-entertaining and informative way.

Under the Ice is a wordless 35-minute featurette that gives a more extended look at footage shot under the ice.

Over the Ice is a wordless 10-minute piece of footage shot by a helicopter flying over Antarctica.

There is an 18-minute Dive Locker Interview in which Herzog talks to some of the divers, in often-technical ways.

South Pole Exorcism is an odd 12-minute sequence in which South Pole workers do a singing/dancing/drinking ritual to exorcize demons from a digging machine.

Seals & Men is a 3-minute bit with some footage of men bagging seals so that they can be studied.

Jonathan Demme Interviews Werner Herzog is a 67-minute onstage interview of Herzog by Demme at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, where Herzog talks about his overall career and this film.

FINAL THOUGHT

Encounters At The End of The World is a little uneven, but there are things to like here.