Big River Man

Big River Man is, for me, the best film of 2009.

Martin Strel is one of those rare individuals that is larger than life. He's an overweight world record holding athlete that is also an alcoholic, chronic gambler and occasional action movie star. He is a national celebrity in his home country Slovenia where he enjoys benefits such as free club memberships, being allowed to drive drunk and park wherever he likes and also access to a secluded cave where he inputs a special code given to him by the government to meditate in peace and prepare for his upcoming challenge.

Martin is very much a superhero, as someone later points out in the film. He is forced to swim with a white mask around his face to prevent his skin from burning to a crisp. It is such a surreal thing to see this fat Slovenian masked man swimming through the amazon, being greeted by hoards of fans as he makes progress. But where this film really becomes interesting is to see Strel's progression into "the fourth dimension" as he calls it. The mental and physical toll that the marathon takes on him is really outstanding, he ceases to exist as a human being and is driven by an animal instinct mixed with delusions and hallucinations.

All of this without even mentioning all the other fascinating challenges that come with navigating the Amazon. The only down side for me was the navigator (cant remember his name) who I believe was also slowly loosing his mind (or maybe sipping a bit too much of that local ayahausca), at times he had interesting things to say... but for the most part he was just annoying like a raving lunatic can be.

Mr. Strel is my kind of guy. Any one can be extremely disciplined, maintaining top physical form to face a great challenge. But only a true genius, an icon, can face that challenge on his own terms, fueled by wine and Cutty Sark. The son is also an interesting "character", he is the voice of reason and organization much needed to keep this machine going, they complete each other in some ways.

Martin Strel is a Herzogian Hero, and an inspiration for us all. I don't know what kind of future he has. I hope he doesn't attempt another swim (although I will root for him if he does). Men like him are simply immune to death, even if he doesn't continue I sure he will end up as President of Slovenia or something.

This is one of the most bizarre documentaries I've ever seen. Its not a well made film by any means. It looks rather amateur and it is edited and executed like they've just cracked the box open on Final Cut Pro. But the strange thing about this doco is that it's entirely compelling. It chronicles one middle-aged man's determination to swim the length of the Amazon river... a fete never attempted. Its a river full of countless dangers; piranha, anacondas, alligators, parasites, whirlpools and Amazonian natives to name just some. The film begins in a very hokey manner which basically has it's subject, Martin Strel, prancing around like a drunken imbecile. I found this irritating as if they're declaring to the world "We're from Slovenia, aren't we weird?"... but once the marathon swim begins, the movie is captivating. As days begin to meld into each other the story begins to resemble something from Apocalypse Now as Strel slowly slips into madness and delirium. A lot of the editing is forced and unnecessary but the overall journey is well worth watching. As the end credits began to roll it was strange to see Olivia Newton-John's name pop up as a producer. I am guessing she came on board after the fact to help fund it's distribution. Whatever... its a really peculiar movie!

An other-worldly journey through the limits of human endurance. Martin's first endurance swim was to escape from his abusive father and it is a ritual he seems to repeat on a grander and grander scale, driven on maniacally in the end. At the beginning it looks as though he is in pursuit of fame and acclaim but as the journey goes on it seems as though he may actually be fleeing from the inescapable. On a couple of occasions he abandons large civic receptions arranged for him and swims away out into the night, only a small support boat with a friend with a torch in tow. This documentary is a fascinating manifestation of inner turmoil battled with super-human determination and played out in a savagely beautiful environment.

Big River Man is fantastic movie documenting something that many actors have not done it even in the movie. Martin Strel is one of the greatest heroes of modern age but unfortunately, he will be forgotten very quickly. Quality of the movie is extremely good and the movie is not boring for one single second. This movie is not for people who think about Amazon as a holiday destination but as the only unspoilt and undamaged area on this planet.

To people who do not like, I would suggest them to stick with Hollywood and Tom Cruise style movies. If you do not like the movie then do not watch documentary movies.

I'm sure that many people would like to see more Martin Strel movies.

This was like Heart of Darkness meets Fitzcarraldo meets a Herzog nature documentary meets a Herzog person-focused documentary (I.e, Grizzly Man or Little Dieter Needs to Fly).

Plus it's also really funny and with a sense of heart and genuine emotion, and with one of the most entertaining yet enigmatic documentary subjects in recent memory. It wasn't afraid to discuss more serious subject matter (mainly in terms of environmental issues) from time to time, too. The balance between all these elements was surprisingly strong.

It is a little sloppy in presentation and editing, which extends to the low quality of the voiceover audio, too. But in a way, the less than amazing presentation kind of adds to the film's unique charm. Genuinely didn't know whether it was a mockumentary or real the whole time as well...