Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Movie Review: Kon-Tiki (2012)

Kon-Tiki (2012) 
Starring: Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Odd-Magnus Williamson, Agnes Kittelsen, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jakob Oftebro, Tobias Santelmann 
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg 
Nordisk Film, Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Roenbergfilm, DCM, Norway, UK, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, 2012. 
The movie is an dramatised account of Thor Heyerdahl's 8000 km (4300 nautical miles) expedition over the Pacific Ocean using a balsa wood raft. Heyerdahl wrote a book about the adventure. 

Film begins with young Thor Heyerdahl trying to jump on ice floats. Thor falls into icy water and is saved by his father. Father scolds him and makes him promise that he will not try anything as dangerous. In 1937 Thor (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) is with his wife Liv (Agnes Kittelsen) on Fatu Hiva studying Polynesian tribes. 
Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen
Thor in Polynesia
Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen and pineapple
South-American plants
Agnes Kittelsen
Thor's wife Liv
The prevailing theory is that the tribes paddled to Polynesia from west, i.e. from Asia. However some plants growing in Polynesia are clearly originated from South-America. The tribes believe that the Sun-God Tiki brought the people from east. 
Tiki statue
Anders Baasmo Christiansen
Engineer Herman
In 1946 Thor tries to publish his research results. He suggests that the people traveled from South-America to Polynesia using balsa wood rafts. However the publishers do not believe Thor's radical new theory. To prove his theory Thor prepares an expedition but getting funding for such a dangerous enterprise is difficult. An engineer Herman Watzinger (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) offers some insight for building the raft. Thor and Herman travel to Peru but the funding is still unresolved. 
Tobias Santelmann and Jakob Oftebro
Radio-operators Knut and Torstein
Odd-Magnus Williamson
Sailor Erik
Gustaf Skarsgård
Anthropologist Bengt
The expedition team consists of radio-operators Torstein Raaby (Jakob Oftebro) and Knut Haugland (Tobias Santelmann), sailor and artist Erik Hesselberg (Odd-Magnus Williamson) and  anthropologist Bengt Danielsson (Gustaf Skarsgård). The president of Peru arranges the funding. The group decides to make a film about the expedition. The adventure begins in April 1947. They must survive sea storms and sharks, also the raft may fall apart. Also the long voyage is psychologically hard for the crew. They see big sea animals and bioluminescent creatures. 
Kon-Tiki balsa raft
Harmless whale shark
The movie is quite accurate depiction of the famous expedition with some artistic freedom. However Herman's character is depicted as uncertain and scared, being portrayed differently than in real history. Maybe the filmmakers tried to make Herman more like a regular guy, while the other crewmembers act more like already seasoned sailors or war veterans. This way he contrasts Thor, who is overly confident that the voyage will be a success. The movie is visually very beautiful.
Ordinary day on the raft
Rating: Very Good

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