"At the Edge of the World" is an unscripted, timeless, documentary window into an otherwise unseen, often harrowing, ongoing morality play on the frigid Ross Sea. What would you do? The director Dan Stone includes you as a member of the everyman and every-woman crew. Events unfold and tell the saga of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's two flimsy, non ice-burg rated ships. On a shoe string budget, the Farely Mowat and the Robert Hunter clash with the mighty Nisshin Maru and its supporting armada. At a million dollars a whale and a thousand butchered last year alone, all appropriate strategies and tactics are resourcefully applied to end the hunts.
With a self stylized Jolly Roger on the bow and a skeleton crew of 50, mostly volunteers from 15 countries and various expertise take on the odyssey. Seasoned and steady hand Sea Shepherd founder, Captain Paul Watson (co founder of Greenpeace and a former member) marshals his forces. Young archetypal fellow Captain Alex Cornelissen, the dedicated crew and on shore media contacts are not simply there to bear witness. Intervention between the so called research ship with harpoon at the ready and the whales swimming in the internationally recognized and protected, but until now unpatroled sanctuary, is the only course of action. This is a law enforcement organization and effort.
Having never an injury or death caused to either side, the crew of scruffy raiders fearlessly set out in zodiacs and use all manner of stink and smoke bombs and propeller foulers. Artfully executed precision maneuvers run interference and set up some metal grinding, ship to ship broad side contact caused by the whalers. The risks are unbelievable.
"At the Edge of the World" is more than a simple anti-whaling documentary, it gets out of its own way. An eye opening, subtle, authentic and complete film, it stays with you long after you are on dry land. With its breath taking cinematography and jaw dropping footage, the film is about individual empowerment. The Sea Shepherd crew are the heroes in all of us. It is about what you can do (with regards to anything in life) or not. It's your choice. What will you do?
