180° South: Conquerors of the Useless - O Filme

180° South: Conquerors of the Useless (180 Graus Sul: Conquistadores do Inútil) é um dos melhores filmes que assisti nos últimos tempos. Este belo documentário foi dirigido por Chris Malloy e lançado em 2010. O filme narra a viagem que Jeff Johnson fez até a Patagonia, inspirada na lendária viagem de 1968 de Yvon Chouinard (fundador das marcas Black Diamond e Patagonia) e Doug Tompkins (fundador da marca The North Face), quando eles foram de carro até a Patagonia para escalar o Cerro Fitz Roy, conquistando a via Californiana. Jeff inicia sua viagem em 2007 de veleiro, passando pela Ilha de Páscoa e seguindo até a Patagonia chilena, com o objetivo de escalar o Cerro Corcovado. Durante a viagem são feitas diversas reflexões sobre a maneira como a humanidade está se desenvolvendo, sobre os valores sociais, sobre os impactos ambientais gerados pelo homem, etc. O filme exalta o espírito de viajar, com bonitas cenas de vela, surf e alpinismo. As paisagens são incríveis, a fotografia é belíssima e a trilha sonora é ótima. Mas, acima de tudo, a mensagem deixada é forte e inspiradora. Vale a pena assistir!

Para maiores informações veja o site do filme: 180 South

A seguir estão o trailer do filme e a sinopse (em inglês):

180° SOUTH is the story of one of the most unique and prolific environmentalists of our time - Yvon Chouinard. Rather than re-living Yvon's story through old photos and his life's work with pie charts, 180° SOUTH weaves Chouinard's tale through a modern day expedition. This expedition was inspired by the rumor of a legendary trip in 1968 and the proof that came with it when the lost cans of film that documented the trip were recently discovered. The old footage captures Chouinard and best friend Doug Tompkins in 1968 as they explore untouched mountain ranges and un-surfed coastline on a 5000 mile expedition from California to deep Patagonia. For the two men, the original '68 adventure still stands as "the trip of our lives."

A young American adventurer named Jeff Johnson happened upon the footage in 1990 and spent the next ten years of his life dreaming of following their footsteps south. In 2007, Jeff dropped everything to finally fulfill his dream. He set out to follow Chouinard's classic route on what became a six month traverse of North and South America. His hope is simply to find unclimbed mountains and un-ridden waves in the spirit of his heroes. However, as he travels, his eyes open up to the see environmental disasters that threaten these places as well as the human triumphs that are working to save them.

From the start of the film, each scene seamlessly echoes back and forth between Jeff's modern day adventure and conversations happening in a century old stone cabin in deep Patagonia. The two men (Chouinard and Tompkins) cook the fish they have just caught on a wood-burning stove. Their hair is silver now and the lines on their faces speak volumes. They have been best friends and expedition partners for over fifty years. They recount their lives with simple and humble narratives (all of which have achieved folkloric stature in the outdoor world). The stories come to life with classic archival footage and hand drawn animation (by artist Geoff McFetridge). Each story flows in-and-out of Jeff's voyage becoming a parable to a thesis that has solidified them as true visionaries in the most important revolution of our time: the preservation of the natural world.

As the film progresses and Jeff picks up several more characters, each with their own unique views of the world, we realize that Jeff has been with the old men in the cabin the whole time. Asking the questions that have produced the stories and philosophies we see. We also come to find out that we are on the eve of what could be the last big climb of their lives together (as they are both almost 70 now). It is an unclimbed, unnamed peak that is part of a two-million acre preserve. A park that the two have created together.