Encounters at the End of the World Review

Encounters at the End of the World is an intriguing documentary by Werner Herzog, famed German film maker and director. As Herzog put it himself, "This is not a typical Antarctica film about fluffy penguins." In fact, it is about an equally interesting race that has decided to call the seventh continent its home: the human race. Even though Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth (or maybe because of it) thousands of people work and live there in a number of permanent camps and research stations, each with his or her own story and reason to be there.
Herzog meets many strange and memorable characters on his journey, including a philosopher/construction worker, a welder related to a South American Aztec monarchy, a man who escaped the iron curtain, and a hermit living with and studying penguins, who, among other things, has observed his fair share of penguin love triangles. All of these people have only one thing in common: their love for the harsh but beautiful continent they call home. Werner Herzog himself was drawn to the alien landscape of Antarctica, mainly because a friend of his send him footage of divers swimming under the Antarctic ice shelf, studying the invertebrates that lived there.
I think that Encounters at the End of the World is an interesting portrayal of all the different people whom we are likely to meet at the geographical end of the World, as well as the stunning landscape and climate found there. But the scenery is just an added bonus; what brings people to Antarctica is the fact they can be among others who also love the least inhabited place on Earth, where you can follow and accomplish your dreams.