180° South
- Posted: 21st May 2010
- Category: Reviews
By Katie Rice
Chris Malloy’s 180° Degrees South follows the journey of Jeff Johnson, a surfing and mountain climbing enthusiast, who abandons his humdrum job to embark on an adventure of sailing, surfing and climbing in Patagonia. Inspired by film of his heroes Doug Tompkins (founder of North Face) and Yvon Chouinard and their 5000-mile epic trek to Patagonia to climb the towering Mount Fitzroy in 1968, Jeff decides to follow in their footsteps. What starts out as a journey driven purely by a passion for climbing and surfing becomes a humbling lesson about the destructive effects of the needs of modern consumerism on Latin America.
Interwoven with archival footage of the 1968 adventure and a present day interview with Tompkins and Chouinard, we first follow Jeff’s journey across the sea with an unscheduled stop at Rapa Tui (Easter Island). It is here he makes his first connections with the locals and learns the catastrophic effects of over-consumption of resources on the island, leading to cannibalism and tribal warfare. This theme continues throughout the film. As we watch Johnson experience the beguiling beauty of wild Latin America, we are constantly reminded of the true cost of modern society’s mass consumption and the effects it has on the country through his interactions with local communities. We learn of Tompkins and Chouinard’s efforts to give back to the land they loved to explore by creating the Corcovado National Park, which now has over two million acres of protected land.
Combining hypnotic filming of the rugged land and rolling surf with simplistic yet authentic encounters with the people of Patagonia, Malloy presents the audience with some breathtaking images as well as an insight into the dangers of mass consumption on the few wild places left on earth. He aims to leave the audience with an awareness and heightened sense of responsibility - both of which he achieves admirably.
Dir: Chris Malloy, USA 2010, 85 mins
For more information visit: www.180south.com