28/03/2013 - Hardly two years after his first documentary, the gifted Daniel Dencik proposes a fascinating and unconventional adventure film

Once again, Danish documentary production confirms its position as a leader, constantly renewing both ideas and talents. Daniel Dencik, winner of the Reel Talent Award last November during the CPH:DOX, today offers us his second feature film. Distributed by Haslund Film, The Expedition to the End of the World [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is a Danish-Swedish coproduction (Beofilm, Garagefilm International AB). It was presented last week at the 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in the "Habitat" section, which deals with the consequences of human interactions with the natural environment.

Last year, Moon Rider, a sort of diary of the cyclist Rasmus Quaade filmed in Super 8, left its mark because of its unusual formal approach. Focusing on the fragility of Quaade’s sporting commitment, the cyclist was seen as being overcome by his excesses. Dencik’s recent documentary returns to this idea of being unable to cope, but on a more metaphysical level. Following a maritime expedition to the far north-east of Greenland, The Expedition to the End of the World places the characters in a disconcerting situation as they cross the immensity of these virtually unknown territories. Even so, the film is not intended to be too serious: Daniel Dencik shows the sense of humour of his heroes, whether they are artists, geologists, archaeologists or photographers. The film describes how they step back for a wider take, which translates for each one of them into a vast sense of self-derision. While men only appeared 5 million years after the Earth’s came into being, the sense of human civilization – so sure of its accomplishments – takes a completely different direction here, at the edge of the world.

As the great sailboat makes its way through the ice, the filmmaker takes advantage of stopovers on the coasts and various events (melting glaciers falling into the sea, the sudden appearance of a polar bear) to gather everyone’s impressions. The artist admits that, when all's said and done, we are nothing, the archaeologist uncovers camps inhabited by ancient Arctic peoples. Each participant thus reveals the reasons for their presence on board, and it is this cohabitation between the crew’s members that makes the film interesting.

Thousands of kilometres to the north, the sailboat comes across a ship belonging to an oil company: Daniel Dencik then plays with a feeling of aversion, hardly hidden by his peers and ourselves, the spectators. Beneath its light and cheerful tone, the expedition is full of implications. The beautiful panoramic views of the ice and cliffs reveal superbly mastered photography. The Expedition to the End of the World is a real experience, in the pure tradition of an adventure movie, but very unconventional. 

(Translated from French)