Big River Man - Preview
Preview by Jack Foley
MARTIN Strel is Big River Man. A man who campaigns for a cleaner environment by swimming the lengths of some of the world’s largest and most polluted rivers such as the Mississippi, the Yangtze and the Amazon.
His unbelievable swim across the Amazon is captured in the 2009 Sundance Award winning film available to own on DVD from January 18, 2010.
Overweight, over 50-years-old and an alcoholic, Martin Strel made it to the Guinness Book of Records swimming the length of the Amazon River, while avoiding the ever present dangers of piranhas, snakes, crocodiles and sharks. The ultimate lads hero, Strel shows what can be achieved when chasing your dream, fuelled by passion, determination and, plenty of wine!
Strel proves that you do not need have to be young and slim to be an endurance swimmer and break Guinness World Records. Big River Man tells the phenomenal story of how one man defies convention by swimming over 5,430 km of the Amazon River, to highlight pollution in the world.
Director John Maringouin set out to make an environmentally aware documentary about this eccentric, larger than life Slovenian swimmer. As a result, he endured a journey deep into the oppressively remote Amazonia, following Martin and his team as they descended into a nightmare of illness and insanity.
“Big River Man is less about an extreme endurance feat, than a man trying to save his soul. It’s less about a father and son relationship than about an extreme relationship in one of the more surreal and desperate situations imaginable. Martin Strel’s Amazon swim was his last attempt at greatness, the beginning of his son’s life, and an unambiguous metaphor for achieving impossible dreams.” – John Maringouin
Funny, surreal, mad and fascinating, this is ultimately an enthralling story like no other, Big River Man entertains and inspires, demonstrating there are no obstacles when passion and determination exist.
Certificate: tbc
Running time: 100mins
UK DVD Release: January 18, 2010