Salt

The salt flats around Lake Eyre in southern Australia—the lowest point on the continent—would not be on most folks' travel wish-lists, but such is not the case for award-winning photographer Murray Fredericks, who sees it as a place that offers a view of a “perfect horizon,” a void where he can point his camera into “pure space.” Made in collaboration with filmmaker Michael Angus, this PBS-aired documentary presents footage from Fredericks' annual solo pilgrimages, as he ventures off with a bicycle, tent, camera, cell phone, and small food supply. Salt is essentially a kind of video diary, illustrated with starkly beautiful, otherworldly landscapes, as Fredericks initially goes about his daily routine (with only occasional calls to his family) but eventually begins to lose his sense of time, suffers some depression, experiences intense dreams, and ultimately feels a loss of control. When it rains, the flat is turned into a small lake, making it muddy and difficult for Fredericks to navigate. A somewhat odd personal documentary, Salt's natural spectacles—like a sunrise or a sky full of stars—tend to make Fredericks' earthly concerns seem relatively insignificant. Extras include interviews with Fredericks and Angus, along with some stunning time-lapse sequences. Likely to be of interest to photographers and armchair philosophers, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)