SFIFF: Ice People

~ Lincoln Spector

I missed Ice People at the Kabuki Saturday, but I borrowed a DVD from the press library and just watched it. I’m glad I did.

Anne Aghion’s narration-free documentary observes the people living in the most remote place on Earth (at least on dry land), Antarctica. To be precise, the scientists, undergrads, and support staff at the McMurdo research station. Actually, most of the film concerns a team of four living in tents away from the station as they explore a “dry” valley that millions of years ago teamed with life. We get a fair idea of day to day life (in the tents and at the station) and listen to geologists wax enthusiastic about their work. We see the joy of watching the first sunrise in six months (it will be another six before sunset), and the even greater joy at discovering a rock with a leaf imprint. People talk to the camera about how they ended up there, the boredom of never meeting new people, and why layers of rock are like a laundry basket (the trick is to find a receipt).

But I wish Ice People provided more general information. I wanted to know how long the people (support staff and scientists) stay, what sort of training the staff has, and how many people live there. I wanted someone to look at the camera and say “This is how the whole place works.”

There’s one more screening, Wednesday, April 30, 1:15, at the Kabuki.

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Published by Lincoln Spector

Lincoln Spector writes about cinema, technology, and cinema technology. From 1986 through 2008, he wrote Gigglebytes, the first technology-oriented humor column. From 1977 through 2016, he wrote PC World's Answer Line column and blog.