Dept. Of Excellent Escapism: 180 Degrees South

We all fantasize about dropping everything and setting out on an incredible journey. And if you can’t quite pull it off, you can always read The Odyssey, or watch a movie like 180 Degrees South. It was recently featured at the Best Of Mountain Film festival, and my friends at Outside listed it as a worthy entrant:

2. 180 South, in which adventurer Jeff Johnson recreates a trip Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins took to Chilean Patagonia in 1968. It’s a patiently told story that shines because Yvon tags along for the return trip, offering the sort of unfiltered wisdom that only he can. Here he is while slurping clams on a remote Chilean beach: “You know where I wish I was? Right here.” And on climbing Mount Everest: “You’re an asshole when you start out and you’re an asshole when you finish.”

So true.

Outside also ran a longer profile of producer Chris Malloy, which observes: At a time many people are worried about unemployment, along comes a movie that makes a convincing case for seeking it out.

Here’s the trailer: