大河男人

　　This transcendent and rather strange demi-documentary follows Slovenian long distance swimmer Martin Strel on his most dangerous swim yet: down the mighty Amazon. Part world class sporting event, part circus sideshow, we travel with the vodka-swilling 53-year-old Strel as he battles treacherous currents, pollution, and his own insanity over the 66-day swim. Director John Maringouin's first feature doc, Running Stumbled (2006), has gathered a cult following for its eerie, disturbing portrait of his parents. Big River Man continues to reveal the director's penchant for darkly poetic, even Herzogian, realism. Strel's son narrates while his father remains mostly silent, swinging between focused and disoriented throughout the risky swim. The jaunty road trip comedy that characterizes the early days of the journey morphs into surprising surrealism in the final leg as the tension - and Strel's blood pressure - mounts.