Big River Man (2009) User Reviews

The heart of darkness

[GethinVanH · 8/10 · 9 January 2010]

Martin Strel is a long distance swimmer who has swam the lengths of the Yangtze River and the Mississippi River. In this documentary it is shown how he swims the Amazon River, the deadliest and longest river in the world.

'Why' is the obvious question but once you get to see Strel and learn his story, you quickly understand the reasons. Strel was abused as a child and the story of him running away from his abusive father and swimming an icy river is told as the beginning of Strel's journey.

The 'Heart of Darkness' allusions are pretty much mandatory when discussing Strel and his boat of assistants who go down the Amazon in search of a world record. No one has ever swam the Amazon before. No one had swam the Yagtze or Mississippi before either, but the Amazon of course has more allure and danger.

This is a documentary like "Grizzly Man", the movie wouldn't be at all appealing if it weren't for its unique main character who puts himself in a unique position. Strel is a larger than life figure, he's quite literally overweight, and he's an alcoholic. He's from Slovenia where's he's regarded as a national hero. One of the perks of his fame is that he gets private access to a cave in Slovenia where he meditates and "thinks like an animal so he won't get eaten in the Amazon" The reason people like Strel and Treadwell are interesting to me is that they put themselves in situations where you think they're completely insane but you can't help but root for them. It's part of the human spirit, I suppose. Everyone along the Amazon, in Peru and Brazil, want Strel to succeed and so does the viewer. This makes it a great documentary! Highly recommended.

Apocalypse Strel

[toxiemite · 6/10 · 21 October 2010]

This is one of the most bizarre documentaries I've ever seen. Its not a well made film by any means. It looks rather amateur and it is edited and executed like they've just cracked the box open on Final Cut Pro. But the strange thing about this doco is that it's entirely compelling. It chronicles one middle-aged man's determination to swim the length of the Amazon river... a fete never attempted. Its a river full of countless dangers; piranha, anacondas, alligators, parasites, whirlpools and Amazonian natives to name just some. The film begins in a very hokey manner which basically has it's subject, Martin Strel, prancing around like a drunken imbecile. I found this irritating as if they're declaring to the world "We're from Slovenia, aren't we weird?"... but once the marathon swim begins, the movie is captivating. As days begin to meld into each other the story begins to resemble something from Apocalypse Now as Strel slowly slips into madness and delirium. A lot of the editing is forced and unnecessary but the overall journey is well worth watching. As the end credits began to roll it was strange to see Olivia Newton-John's name pop up as a producer. I am guessing she came on board after the fact to help fund it's distribution. Whatever... its a really peculiar movie!

Surprisingly great

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 8/10 · 12 March 2021]

This was like Heart of Darkness meets Fitzcarraldo meets a Herzog nature documentary meets a Herzog person-focused documentary (I.e, Grizzly Man or Little Dieter Needs to Fly).

Plus it's also really funny and with a sense of heart and genuine emotion, and with one of the most entertaining yet enigmatic documentary subjects in recent memory. It wasn't afraid to discuss more serious subject matter (mainly in terms of environmental issues) from time to time, too. The balance between all these elements was surprisingly strong.

It is a little sloppy in presentation and editing, which extends to the low quality of the voiceover audio, too. But in a way, the less than amazing presentation kind of adds to the film's unique charm. Genuinely didn't know whether it was a mockumentary or real the whole time as well...

Big River Man is a wonderful film - Go and see it and tell your friends too!

[bRAdY-01 · 7 September 2009]

I recently attended a screening of Big River Man at the ICA in London, the film was Directed and shot by John Maringouin (won best cinematographer award at Sundance 2009) follows Martin Strel as he attempts to cover 3,375 miles of the Amazon River in what is being billed as the world's longest swim. What a treat! Easily the best doc I've seen since Man on Wire, Big River Man is a wonderful, very funny, insightful epic road (substitute river) movie on what is still one of the last great unknown frontiers, the mighty Amazon River and the jungle it meanders through. Martin Strel and his son and project manager/PR publicist Borut Strel attended the screening and did a Q&A afterwards, they were both very charming, honest and open in their answers and amazingly modest, since the film pulled no punches, was brutally honest as they fought dozens of physical and psychological barriers to complete their incredible quest of endurance, simply an epic human endeavour. I found this film to be one of the most enjoyable films I've watched in recent years and would urge you to make your best efforts to see it, giving it my highest recommendation to all and everyone to see it since Let The Right One In. Funny fact, the film listed Olivia Newton-John as one of its executive producers (yes Grease), hat's off to her, her money was truly well invested here. Regards Ray Brady - London based indie feature director.

A film that would make Herzog proud

[tlwilliams · 10/10 · 8 December 2009]

Big River Man is, for me, the best film of 2009.

Martin Strel is one of those rare individuals that is larger than life. He's an overweight world record holding athlete that is also an alcoholic, chronic gambler and occasional action movie star. He is a national celebrity in his home country Slovenia where he enjoys benefits such as free club memberships, being allowed to drive drunk and park wherever he likes and also access to a secluded cave where he inputs a special code given to him by the government to meditate in peace and prepare for his upcoming challenge.

Martin is very much a superhero, as someone later points out in the film. He is forced to swim with a white mask around his face to prevent his skin from burning to a crisp. It is such a surreal thing to see this fat Slovenian masked man swimming through the amazon, being greeted by hoards of fans as he makes progress. But where this film really becomes interesting is to see Strel's progression into "the fourth dimension" as he calls it. The mental and physical toll that the marathon takes on him is really outstanding, he ceases to exist as a human being and is driven by an animal instinct mixed with delusions and hallucinations.

All of this without even mentioning all the other fascinating challenges that come with navigating the Amazon. The only down side for me was the navigator (cant remember his name) who I believe was also slowly loosing his mind (or maybe sipping a bit too much of that local ayahausca), at times he had interesting things to say... but for the most part he was just annoying like a raving lunatic can be.

Mr. Strel is my kind of guy. Any one can be extremely disciplined, maintaining top physical form to face a great challenge. But only a true genius, an icon, can face that challenge on his own terms, fueled by wine and Cutty Sark. The son is also an interesting "character", he is the voice of reason and organization much needed to keep this machine going, they complete each other in some ways.

Martin Strel is a Herzogian Hero, and an inspiration for us all. I don't know what kind of future he has. I hope he doesn't attempt another swim (although I will root for him if he does). Men like him are simply immune to death, even if he doesn't continue I sure he will end up as President of Slovenia or something.

Great movie

[atosic · 10/10 · 18 August 2010]

Big River Man is fantastic movie documenting something that many actors have not done it even in the movie. Martin Strel is one of the greatest heroes of modern age but unfortunately, he will be forgotten very quickly. Quality of the movie is extremely good and the movie is not boring for one single second. This movie is not for people who think about Amazon as a holiday destination but as the only unspoilt and undamaged area on this planet.

To people who do not like, I would suggest them to stick with Hollywood and Tom Cruise style movies. If you do not like the movie then do not watch documentary movies.

I'm sure that many people would like to see more Martin Strel movies.

Breath taking

[beltyne · 10/10 · 27 August 2010]

I have read the reviews for a wide number of movies on this site, and felt myself agreeing with them, until now. This movie alone made me create and account and speak my mind.

First off, yes, the movie is about Martin being overweight and embarking on the most dangerous swimming trek known to man. That alone could make the movie, however everyone is missing the most important message of this film.

Although the Navigator Matt gets on peoples nerves and goes a little insane, but..... for a moment, he understands what it's all for. The Amazon forest is one of the last " perfect " places on earth untouched by mankind's disgusting industry. As Martins son narrates he tells everyone that in the year 2020, there will be no more Rain Forest, no more Amazon. That makes you wonder, then what do we do ?.

Although the Amazon is dangerous and is not tamed by man, it is the perfect view of the utopia that is Earth. Martin is bringing this to everyone's attention. Martin might not be Michael Moore when it comes to his documentary style, but I have more respect for a man that embarks on that physical adventure then for someone that instead knocks on doors and get's on peoples nerves. The movie is about bringing the awareness to our environment, and doing what everyone is afraid to do.

As Martin says when he swimming in the water looking at the beauty around him, everyone could benefit from being in this environment. No noise, no harassment, just the sound of the forest, and perfect harmony. And what happens when that is taken away ?, where then will you go, and what will you do to truly feel free ?. All in all, the movie is a great watch, however you need to take something from it, not just forget it happened.

Fascinating

[rich-mcgee · 10/10 · 14 August 2012]

An other-worldly journey through the limits of human endurance. Martin's first endurance swim was to escape from his abusive father and it is a ritual he seems to repeat on a grander and grander scale, driven on maniacally in the end. At the beginning it looks as though he is in pursuit of fame and acclaim but as the journey goes on it seems as though he may actually be fleeing from the inescapable. On a couple of occasions he abandons large civic receptions arranged for him and swims away out into the night, only a small support boat with a friend with a torch in tow. This documentary is a fascinating manifestation of inner turmoil battled with super-human determination and played out in a savagely beautiful environment.

Best documentary ever

[loumiles-25568 · 10/10 · 27 September 2018]

Big river man, a truly great movie, about a truly great man. Superman exists, and this movie proves it, its funny its sad, and a film that truly moved me. BRM is also a very spiritual film, truth is far stranger then fiction, old and young will love this triumph of a film. Flawless