Big River Man

Overview

John Maringouin and Molly Lynch's film follows Slovenia's Martin Strel, swimmer extraordinaire. At first glance, Strel, 55, looks the opposite of the Olympic ideal, with his portly belly and distinctly unhealthy lifestyle but as a long distance swimmer, he has conquered the lengths of the Danube, Mississippi and Yangtze rivers. This film follows his attempt to swim the length of the Amazon, the world's longest river, to raise awareness of the depletion of the rain forests. But, rather like Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, the complexities of the adventure begin to spiral into chaos, with Strel's son and publicist Borut and navigator Matthew Mohlke caught up in Strel's grandiose plans.