The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)

About a series of unsolved disappearances on the Galapagos Island of Floreana in the 1930s.

Directors:

Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine

Writers:

Dayna Goldfine, Daniel Geller

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Kretschmann

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Dore Strauch (voice)
Sebastian Koch	...	Heinz Wittmer (voice)
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Friedrich Ritter (voice)
Diane Kruger	...	Margret Wittmer (voice)
Connie Nielsen	...	Baroness Von Wagner (voice)
Josh Radnor	...	John Garth (voice)
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Rolf Blomberg (voice)
Octavio Latorre	...	Self - Interviewee
Fritz Hieber	...	Self - Interviewee
Steve Divine	...	Self - Interviewee
Teppy Angermeyer	...	Self - Interviewee
Jacqueline De Roy	...	Self - Interviewee
Gil De Roy	...	Self - Interviewee
Carmen Angermeyer	...	Self - Interviewee
Jacob Lundh	...	Self - Interviewee

Storyline

Darwin meets Hitchcock in this feature-length documentary. THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR is a gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands. Featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, Connie Nielsen, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Kretschmann, Gustaf Skarsgard and Josh Radnor, this film skillfully interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers (a handful of Europeans, Americans and Ecuadoreans who settled idiosyncratically on the Islands between the 1930s and 1960s). As such, it is a parable about the search for paradise -- about what happens when a handful of individualists settle on the same small island seeking their own distinct and sometimes clashing notions of Eden.

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Plot Keywords:

love triangle | utopia | adultery | floreana island galapagos | reenactment | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | History | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Empress of Floreana (1934)

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Soundtracks

Tree of Life, Ashwattha
Written by David Balatishnan
Performed by Turtle Island Quartet, David Balarishnan, violin; Mark Summer, cello; Mads Tolling, violin; Jeremy Kittel, viola

User Reviews

A bizarre world of unimaginable characters caught on film

This is a documentary that was not originally photographed or filmed to be a documentary.

The news clippings and '30s era home movies captured the lives of idealistic dreamers and isolationists trying to recreate paradise on the rugged coastal fringe of one of the least inhabited of the virtually uninhabited Galapagos Island group.

The quirky castaway cast of this real life video diary seemed at once, deeply gratified with their aloneness while paired with a disenchanted mate seeking any form of domesticated animal companionship for a feeling of self-worth and value.

Isolated introspective perfection for some, painful loneliness for others.

We view in sharp Black & White clips, shabbily dressed family members standing on the front porch of their weathered tropical shack overlooking a rocky outcrop of brush and cactus while gazing off into the distant waters of Post Office Bay hoping to catch a first glimpse of sail threaded riggings signaling the return of a familiar 3-masted schooner with goods and well wishes from distant places and friends left behind.

Somehow I found myself thinking about all of the present day larger than life personalities you find on the Alaskan survival escapist shows and their gold lusting neighbors. Hardy individuals living on the edge of society to pursue their survivalist dreams and pull riches from the grounds they farm or pan.

This is a documentary about socially awkward characters whose lives take a disruptive turn when the Baroness, soon to be slutty Piratess, arrives on the craggy island paradise with her salt and pepper boy toys.

Unattractive and delusionally self-assured the flagrantly promiscuous Baroness, of dubious royal heritage, becomes the flamboyant center point of islander society.

Territorial infringement, water rights disputes and expected jealousies create a constant undercurrent of distrust and friction.

In the midst of growing tensions we're suddenly treated to a revealing view of the Baroness's talents amply on display in intriguing scenes from the locally acted and produced movie, "The Piratess". An aaarg-rated must see!

After laying down sufficient backstory things start happening, dreadful things. People go missing, more people go missing, dead people are found and others remain mysteriously nowhere to ever be found.

I really enjoyed this stitched together artsy documentary and plan to let it sink in for awhile before watching it again.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Ecuador Germany Norway

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 July 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,185, 6 April 2014

Gross USA:

$247,159

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$247,159

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geller/Goldfine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1