SXSW 2019 Reviews: APOLLO 11 & AQUARELA

APOLLO 11: Never-Before-Seen Footage is All You Need

You’d think after watching Damien Chazelle’s First Man, we wouldn’t need another film about the lunar landing. And yet the documentary Apollo 11 comes along and proves otherwise.

Put together by Todd Douglas Miller with no narrations or interviews whatsoever, Apollo 11 unfolds as a series of never-before-seen footage, placed front and center for the audience to soak in. From 70mm film to quick, easy doses of animation to give us a sense of the mission’s logistics, the film plays out in real time; one of the rarest opportunities one can have at witnessing history in the making.

Apollo 11 honors the brave men and women, who are simply doing their everyday jobs, coming together to make the impossible happen. Though the famous names of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong inevitably come to light, the film never forgets the people who work behind the scenes, from Launch Complex 39 to the USS Hornet. To see them crack jokes, drink coffee, and communicate to each other, regardless of the time of day, is both an entertaining and an invigorating experience.

While First Man builds towards its climactic lunar landing, Apollo 11 takes us to that emotional peak twice –once for the lunar landing, and once for the astronauts’ return. Remember, NASA is meeting President Kennedy’s promise of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” The musical score at work here, composed by Matt Morton, can rival Justin Hurwitz himself. It’s got the tension, the anxiety, the wonder, the excitement, and danger, and all of the historical and cultural impact.

Apollo 11 is an unforgettable experience; literally watching history being made in front of your eyes. Nothing about it is fictionalized or dramatized or placed in some potentially misguided context. All we get is the footage. We fill the rest up ourselves.

Apollo 11 screened at SXSW on March 10, 2019. For all other release dates, click here.

AQUARELA: Like a Gorgeous, 90-Minute Screensaver

Aquarela may be the first documentary I’ve seen that explains the psychological effect behind screensavers. On one end, there’s nothing much to see, since a lot of the image feels the same. On the other end, it can become the most hypnotic thing you’ve ever witnessed, to the point where you can start to assign meaning and substance into the imagery.

Is Aquarela a gorgeous exploration of our planet’s beauty? Of water’s devastating effect? Of the consequences of global warming? Maybe it’s all of these things.

Filmed at 96 frames per second, this documentary spans from melting ice glaciers to destructive hurricanes, beautifully filmed by Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky. From start to finish, you would be astonished as to how the footage was even captured. This is a film that relies solely on image and sound to immerse the audience. The entire opening sequence features some of the most insanely crisp audio recordings of nature I’ve ever heard, rivaling Blue Planet.

Depending on the viewer’s needs and desires, Aquarela can fall a bit short for its lack of narrative. The footage cuts from one variation of water to another in a consistently abrupt fashion, with occasional moments of odd heavy metal music choices. At times, in spite of the breathtaking visuals, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what Kossakovsky is trying to tell us. He leaves a lot to our interpretation; sometimes a bit too much. Then again, is there even a point for us humans to figure out Mother Nature, when we’re so miniscule and helpless to her deeds?

Aimless or not, Aquarela is fascinating, designed to be played on repeat as an occasional screensaver and to be digested seriously as a window to nature’s raw power. 

Aquarela screened at SXSW on March 12, 2019. It will be released in theaters in the US on August 16, 2019. For all international release dates, click here.