Sometimes the best movies are the ones that have been around for a while. I find myself drawn to older movies with classic actors like Matt Damon and Tom Hanks, who were more entertaining in 1997 than they are today (check out “Good Will Hunting” or “Cast Away”). Regardless, I admit that my late night sessions of scrolling through endless movie options on Netflix with my roommate Dawson usually ends in the category that satisfies more than any other: documentaries. The never-failing form of entertainment that makes every college student feel better about themselves, because they didn’t watch a movie at 2:00 a.m., they watched a documentary (whoa there, you intellectual genius).
For this occasion, it was “180° South: Conquerors of the Useless,” the documentary that turned my roommate into a conservation biology major and myself into an advocate for environmental protection, with a not-so-ordinary story about a journey to find something greater than yourself. I loved every second of it.
Jeff Johnson is a young adventurer who is following in the footsteps of Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, and Douglas Tompkins, the creator of North Face, who travelled to Patagoina in 1968 in a hippie van to start what became a billion dollar company. Jeff Johnson decided to make the journey himself and travels by sea from Mexico and south along the west coast of Chile. He ends up in a rainy hut with both Chouinard and Tompkins who have settled in Chilean Patagonia in order to protect it. Along the way he surfs, starts digging on a foreign woman who surfs better than he does, and learns far more about the world he’s climbing than he ever thought.
I think the unique thing about this documentary is how is takes this no- so-impressive guy named Jeff, and throws us into his experience. Jeff narrates through the movie as if he’s writing a diary. He’s like you and I, save for better muscles and an even better beard. He’s an ordinary guy with not so ordinary courage, who spends months on a boat and weeks in the mountains to experience an adventure. Dawson and I were not only fascinated by Jeff but felt that his character was attainable. We could be Jeff, and maybe with some more hard work, we could be climbing mountains in Patagonia like he was. I think every college student wants to have these same moments, where things like schoolwork and deadlines are washed away by something entirely more fascinating.
“180° South” is purposeful. It’s advocating for environmental protection and it’s calling its viewers to change the way they think about humanity and the world we live in, but it does so in a way that’s encouraging instead of shameful. I think a lot of documentaries leave the audience in a weird state of self-hatred and sadness. A sort of “wait, what?” reaction to the idea that we are constantly destroying the world around us and it may be too late to do anything about it (see any Climate Change documentary in the last eight years).
I’m an adventurous guy and a people-lover, so this documentary satisfied me on all spectrums. I’ll admit my fascination with documentaries stems more from my eagerness to not feel out of touch with the world, and “180° South” connected me back to it again.
If you love adventure and insightful commentary, “180° South” is a relaxing choice. It’s not the newest, flashiest piece of entertainment out there, but it sure does challenge you. Our generation is familiar with Patagonia as a company, but we know little about the journey behind it all. This weekend, save yourself some scrolling and check it out. You won’t regret it.
“The word ‘adventure’ has just gotten overused. For me, adventure is when everything goes wrong. That’s when the adventure starts.” -Yvon Chouinard