...The heart-stopping landscapes, the gruelling commitment of a polar science camp, and, above all, the ineffable mystery of the beautiful south. I recommend this film to anyone who has ever wondered what it's actually like in the Antarctic. --Sara Wheeler, Author of
Terra Incognita, Travels in Antarctica
In temperatures that can reach minus 60 degrees, scientists are busily working, uncovering signs of ancient life, some of them more than 14 million years old. The dry valleys of the Antarctic are rocky, rough and thoroughly inhospitable. They're also ideal for preserving fossil evidence of past climate change. Anne Aghion's artfully rendered documentary captures the feeling of being in Antarctica like few other films. Shots are held long enough to immerse the viewer in this mineral world of otherworldly light. As much as it is a glimpse into a special place and the history of the planet, the film is a portrait of sometimes prickly people working together extremely closely in conditions that would intimidate claustrophobics and agoraphobics in equal measure.
Adam Ashworth and Adam Lewis's scientific discoveries chronicled here have recently brought them scientific super stardom (see the August 5, 2008
New York Times story headlined: Fossils Add More Proof of Global Climate Shift). Their discovery of ancient aquatic plants indicates an enormous variability in climate that may have repercussions far beyond the scientific community. When during this film they discover a single perfect imprint of a leaf, fossilized millions of years ago, the excitement is so palpable that we participate in not only the joys, but the poetry, of science. The transient nature of the world is captured perfectly in this one ancient sign of life.
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