Expedition to the End of the World

Danish filmmaker Daniel Dencik (who is also an author and poet) chronicles an atypical Scandinavian expedition to the northwest reaches of Greenland for a brief warm season in which unexplored fjords are ice-free and accessible. Into this uninhabited area sails an archaic schooner carrying scientists and artists, who are encouraged to meditate and share their respective philosophies. Unlike Werner Herzog in the somewhat similarly-themed Encounters at the End of the World (VL Online-11/08), Dencik remains resolutely out of frame and off the soundtrack. One archaeologist recalls a traumatic encounter with a polar bear, which has led to an obsessive fear. Another scientist suggests that humans and primordial algae are much the same; humans merely think they're superior. Discoveries of ancient prehistoric tribal habitats and a previously unclassified species brings elation to the team, but they also experience angst over humankind's ephemeral existence in the face of possible global eco-disaster (this unspoiled area is currently being stalked by corporations for oil bonanzas). Offering a heady mix of science, ethics, and metaphysics, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)