Solo

This is a somewhat... maybe depressing isn't exactly the word, but certainly somber movie to start with. Solo is about Andrew McAuley who came so tantalizingly close to be the first person to cross the Tasman Sea in a kayak.

It's a good documentary, it covers him leaving, his journey (from what limited footage was recovered), through to the looming denouement. The emotion is well conveyed but there is an overwhelming sense of fatalism...

At one point, I did wonder if it would be possible for the makers to pull a fast one and reveal at the end that Andrew was rescued... but this is a documentary. It's about reality, not Hollywood fantasies. What happened is a matter of history, and no delusional ideas about "he really will make it" is going to change.

As I said, it's a harsh opening, but a movie I'm glad I saw.\

[While I was hoping these documentaries wouldn't be packed out in the theater, I wasn't expecting just how unpacked it was. I do wonder if Reading is going to change its mind about hosting these festivals...]

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