BIG RIVER MAN (USA 2009) ***1/2
Directed by John Maringouin

Documentary director John Maringouin’s latest subject and film is of long distance Slovenian swimmer Martin Brel a.k.a. BIG RIVER MAN.  His film chronicles his record breaking swim along the treacherous Amazon River while painting an intriguing portrait of this strange man.

Maringouin’s film is simply laid out.  He tells the history of Brel’s previous swims, the most notable being the Yang-Tse, the longest river in China and the third longest and most polluted river in the world.  Though not the topic of this movie, Maringouin includes footage of that swim – no complaints here – to illustrate the man’s determination and aim of his swims, which is to bring the world to appreciate the environment and clean waters.

It is clear than Maringouin’s aim is to entertain while directing his audience to experience the unbearable difficulties of Brels’ swimming of the Amazon.  The latter is not difficult – as everyone have had their fill of stories on the horrors of this river, from man-eating Piranhas to snakes and wild currents and rapids.  But Maringouin’s use of comedy, particularly at the beginning is questionable.  The emphasis on Brel’s popularity including his town’s allowance for letting him drive drunk half the time, though true sends an politically across a politically incorrect message.  But Martin is an over-weight, beer-drinking 50ish man, an unlikely candidate for a Guinness Book record swimmer.  Maringouin delves into the man’s past, his abuse as a child that perhaps influenced his current behaviour.

Martin’s PR is his son Borut Brel and his river guide an experienced Matthew Mohlke.  It is only when Matthew enters the picture that the film takes a deeper, darker turn.  Matthew’s point of view and commentary are priceless, offering a varied insight.  The audience sees a crazed man often on the brink of death.  Coupled with the footage of the swim, often shot in the dead of night, Maringouin weaves his doc into a suspenseful direction.  This is one doc where the audience roots for its protagonist to the very end. 

Maringouin’s film, besides being compelling from start to finish, deservedly won the Sundance World Documentary cinematography Award.  It shows.  From the bright scorching sun that burns Brel’s skin lobster cancer red to the darkest of nights, the film is stunning to look at.

BIG RIVER MAN had a screening in London at the Artsy ICA cinema followed by the father and son Brel Question and Answer session.  I bet this would have been one amazing and unforgettable Q & A session.