John Maringouin, 15 (2009)
To make any kind of a dent in the busy documentary market these days you really need a subject that stands out — so how does the fifty-something, overweight, heavy drinking Slovenian Martin Strel attempting to swim the length of the piranha-infested Amazon River grab you? Strel, by all accounts, is attempting to raise awareness about the rainforest with his foolhardy feat. He goes half-mad in the process, is mistaken for a river demon by locals and charges himself up with a car battery at night. It’s Borat directed by Werner Herzog, it’s wildy funny, and, unbelievably, it’s real.
(Retail DVD, out Mon)
DVD Extras
Advertisement
Interview with Strel.