Causecast

by AARON HORWITZ, Contributing Writer

Why have most of us never heard of Martin Strel? He holds some of the most impressive swimming records in world history. He’s a superstar in his native Slovenia. And in his own peculiar way, he’s given more of himself to the planet than almost anyone alive today. But unlike Michael Phelps, the strapping young American who took home an insane eight swimming gold medals at this year’s Olympics, Strel remains largely outside of the limelight. After all, he’s got a lot going against him.

He’s what some would call comfortably obese. He’s got a drinking problem. He’s a fairly withdrawn man of very few words. And yet somehow, despite all that’s stacked against him, this 54-year-old has swam the entire length of the Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze and most recently Amazon rivers. Each time he has put himself through great physical peril, swimming through some of the most polluted, treacherous, shark and piranha-infested waters on the planet. And he’s done all of this in the name of the environment.

Or so he says. The declining state of our planet, and mankind’s treatment toward it, are clearly on the mind of Strel, but, as is subtly proposed in John Maringouin’s new documentary film, Big River Man, there may be something deeper going on in Martin’s head, something even his own son may never fully understand.

The film, which premiered (and won an award) at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is a psychedelic inside look at Strel and his quest to swim the entire length of the Amazon back in 2007—an astounding 3,273 miles—nearly the length of the entire continental United States coast to coast. Filmmaker John Maringouin jumps aboard a rickety vessel with Strel, his son and full-time PR rep Borut, and a kooky American named Jeff, a former Wal-Mart employee who quit his day job to become Strel’s unofficial navigator (despite having zero navigational experience).

Strel doesn’t seem to shy away from the spotlight, but he does have difficulty expressing himself. He is a bit withdrawn, unable to connect with others, a man who clearly has many demons lingering in his closet—the most prominent of which is a father who beat him severely and regularly as a child. Because of all this, our narrator for the journey is his son Borut.

Strel’s journey into the Amazon almost immediately begins to play out like a real life Apocalypse Now. Barely a week into the lonely voyage down the river, he begins experiencing severe sunburn and blistering, and shortly after that, his mind starts to go. It is fascinating and terrifying to watch as the man gives not only his body but his mind to the river, slowly losing his grip on reality as he spends the majority of each day for over two months swimming solo through the jungle.

Along the way, Borut and the filmmakers provide us with shocking statistics and video of the ongoing deforestation of the beautiful Amazon rainforest, the largest and most important on the planet. It also shows some shocking video of the extreme pollution in China’s Yangtze River, which Strel previously conquered. While the film is much more about Strel and his journey than it is our planet, much can be taken from the man’s selfless acts and unbelievable determination.

After all, if an overweight, middle-aged alcoholic can swim the most treacherous rivers on the planet in the name of preservation…isn’t there something you can do?

Image from Big River Man courtesy of Revolver Entertainment