Big River Man

Having conquered the Yangtze and Mississippi Rivers,
Super Swimmer Martin Strel sets his sights on the mighty Amazon.

Not your average Lance Armstrong,
Strel is grossly overweight, drinks 2 bottles of wine a day,
& resembles someones drunken uncle.
His heart & perseverance are the showstopper here.
Nearly knocking at deaths door 3/4 thru,
mid-swim Martin requests whiskey.
A man of lil' words he rarely speaks, but when he does he barks thunder.

A beaten child with an iron gut
Martin recalls his first long distance swim in which he outran his fathers abuse.
(& possibly continues this notion with every swim)
His purpose:
to open the worlds eyes to the fact that we are destroying the earth with our pollution and destruction.
Battling trenchfoot, & a sunburn so bad tribes mistake him for a demon,
he pushes on, never backing down.
Essentially he loses his mind half way thru the journey ditching his team several times
& appearing quite creepy in a mask to protect his burns.
This is where the story reached its pinnacle for me,
as the mental illness aspect collided with the task at hand.

Above all else, the film touched my heart,
one of those films which shows anything is possible.
Reminding us of our bond with nature.
This heroic accomplishment gave hope to the nations which border this massive river.
How one can rise like a phoenix and shatter limitations.
A great score, great message, lotsa laughs and an in-depth look into an enigmatic soul.
Truly one of the greatest documentaries, a tribute to the human spirit.
8.5/10
I was under the impression this was Werner Herzogs work, that good!