Encounters at the End of the World parents guide

Encounters at the End of the World Parent Guide

Whatever his opinions (or tendencies to meander) may be, this one thing is sure: "Encounters at the End of the World" presents a picture of Antarctica unlike any you have seen.

Overall B+

Filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to the South Pole -- not to study penguins or Antarctic aquatic life-- but to document the people who are attracted to living their lives at the southern most end of the world.

Violence A-
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A-
Substance Use A

Why is Encounters at the End of the World rated G? The MPAA rated Encounters at the End of the World G

Run Time: 101 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Having lived most of my life on the Canadian prairies, I have often wondered why anyone with enough money for a plane ticket would ever decide to travel to Antarctica. For me, thoughts of exploring the world always feature locales with palm trees and sunny beaches. So what makes some people chose a continent perpetually covered in ice and snow?

Apparently, I’m not the only one who has ever contemplated this question. So has filmmaker Werner Herzog. But his query is a little different than mine. Uninterested in the possible appeal of sub zero temperatures, instead of asking why, he asks “who?”

Traveling to the southern most end of the world, with only cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger in tow, the prolific director turns his attention, microphone and camera lens on the human beings populating this frozen piece of the globe. His interviewees include bus drivers, heavy machine operators, plumbers, survival trainers and, of course, research scientists. And what does he find these 1000 or so red-parka wearing persons have in common? Well, a lot of these self-described “dreamers” have substantial education, deep philosophical perspectives and a strong desire to go where few have gone before.

Visiting various outposts, he introduces viewers to the residents of McMurdo’s Research Station (modern enough to have a yoga class and an ATM machine), the primitive hut of scientists investigating the nutritional properties of seal milk, the augured holes of deep-sea divers looking for single-cellular life on the ocean floor, and the dwellings perched on the side of a volcanic mountain bubbling with molten lava. As these regulars explain their purpose for being in this remote land and recount their unusual life stories, it is hard not to compare some of them with the rogue penguins we also meet during the film. (These lost souls leave the nesting grounds, but rather than following the crowd to the life-sustaining ocean waters, they head off to parts of the continent uninhabited by any other of their species.)

If you are expecting grand vistas of pristine wilderness, tales of penguins and the plight of seals, you won’t be entirely disappointed. Zeitlinger does capture some spectacular shots of underwater creatures living in worlds trapped below ceilings of ice, explorations though snow caves, vast expanses of icebergs and even a few obligatory pictures of the famous aquatic mammals and flightless birds. These sequences are all accompanied by a highbrow musical score, and are very reminiscent of other nature documentaries you may have seen. There is even some archival footage of early explores, and the various professionals have an opportunity to remind viewers of environmental issues and global warming.

But these familiar images and topics are just interesting asides, juxtaposed in a tongue-in-cheek way with his observations of the human animals scratching out a place in the forbidding land.

Some of these have a mocking tone, like when he tries to carry on a conversation with the research scientist who has spent the last twenty years silently observing penguins, or attempts to get a physicist to explain the elusive nature of a neutrino. Others seem a bit sarcastic, such as a community full of nature lovers living in what looks like a dirty little mining town, or the need of mankind to leave their mark on the pole (“graffiti” comes in a multitude of forms, from dead sturgeons to popcorn wreaths). Occasionally he is almost reverent, especially when he compares scuba divers to priests preparing for mass before entering into their underwater cathedrals of ice.

Yet whatever his opinions (or tendencies to meander) may be, this one thing is sure: Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World presents a picture of Antarctica unlike any you have seen before.

Starring Werner Herzog, Peter Zeitlinger . Running time: 101 minutes. Updated

Encounters at the End of the World
Rating & Content Info

Why is Encounters at the End of the World rated G? Encounters at the End of the World is rated G by the MPAA

In Encounters at the End of the World, director Werner Herzog looks at the various human inhabitants of the South Pole. Archival footage shows a ship of early explores being crushed by the sea ice and the injury of some men who climbed into a volcanic crater. During interviews there are mentions of a woman who was killed by a machete, a boy who got in trouble for pointing with his index finger, a parasite that lives in the anus of another animal, and the horrific ways miniature undersea creatures kill and eat their prey. A research scientist gives vague responses to questions about penguins, including whether or not they portray gay and prostitute like behavior or signs of mental illness. Two men jokingly hug and kiss (no sexual attraction is implied). Scientists expresses opinions about global warming, possible world flooding from melting icebergs, evolution and looking for life in its earliest stages, along with the likelihood of mankind being on the brink of extinction. An explosive charge is detonated to make a whole in the ice. Undersea explorers engage in the dangerous practice of diving without a tether. Researchers put a bag over a mother seal’s head so they can get a milk sample.

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Encounters at the End of the World Parents' Guide

In spite of the number of nature conversationalist living in Antarctica, none of the people Herzog talks to mentions the footprint they are leaving on the continent. Why?

Have you ever dreamed of visiting the South Pole? What things would you want to see or do? How does this documentary’s look at the people living there contrast with other nature programs you may have seen about Antarctica?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Encounters at the End of the World movie is November 18, 2008. Here are some details…

Explore the South Pole like never before with this 2-disc DVD release of Encounters at the End of the Earth. Some of the bonus extras are: an audio commentary with director Werner Herzog, producer Henry Kaiser and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger, and theatrical trailers. Featurettes include Under the Ice, Over the Ice, Dive Locker Interview (Werner Herzog talks with Rob Robbins and Henry Kaiser), South Pole Exorcism, Jonathan Demme Interviews Werner Herzog and Seals & Men. Audio tracks are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Surround, with subtitles in English and Spanish.

 

Related home video titles:

Antarctica’s most famous residents are the stars of the documentary March of the Penguins. This continent is also the setting for Eight Below, a fictional story about some sled dogs who get stranded at the pole over the winter.