RÜCKKEHR ZUM LAND DER PINGUINE
Review by Becky Tan
A literal translation of the German title of this French film could be Return to the Country of the Penguins . Here Luc Jacquet starts his trip in Patagonia on the southern-most tip of Chile and Argentina . He takes a boat across the water to Antarctica and then walks through the winter landscape . It takes a while for the emperor penguins to appear — large groups at home in the wilderness . Jacquet does not force himself before the camera ; he stays in the background , always commenting on what we are watching . In one scene , the movie screen is totally white , and there is a small , black dot moving toward the middle from the lower-left corner . That is Luc , walking through the snow . In the eighty-three-minute film , there are perhaps a total of seven minutes where we get a glimpse of another person — perhaps one of his team of three , or the captain of the boat .
Luc Jacquet visited Antarctica for the first time in 1991 at age twenty-three . His enthusiasm for the area drew him back more often , resulting in several films . Here we have the successor to the 2005 film Die Reise der Penguine ( March of the Penguins ), which won the 2006 Oscar for best documentary film . Now this excellent sequel could also easily win an Oscar . Perhaps it is unusual to film the environment in black and white , but here it ’ s perfect — the colors of snow as well as penguins . This is true art presented by the excellent cinematographer Christopher Graillot , who films on foot , from the boat , and from the air . I learned a new word : “ solastalgia ,” which , according to Wikipedia , “ describes a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change .” Luc Jacquet says , “ How many trips does one still have ?” Perhaps we will learn more from his future experiences , but now we can definitely enjoy this one , which I saw in French with voiceover and subtitles in German . 83 minutes .
© MFA
RÜCKKEHR ZUM LAND DER PINGUINE VOYAGE AU POLE SUD
FRANCE 2023 OPENING FEBRUARY 15 , 2024
DIRECTED BY LUC JACQUET WRITING CREDITS : LUC JACQUET
PRINCIPAL ACTORS : DOCUMENTARY
CURRENTS 49