It opens with footage of a man getting prepared to go up
into space in a helium balloon. This was in 1960, and a title card tells us he
was lifted 102,800 feet. The footage of him going up (and coming down) is
great, and is presented without narration. There is not much narration in the
film (and no other title cards), but early on we are told: “In the beginning, there were no names.
Things don’t have names. We made them up.” And then: “You don’t always need to know the name of what you see.” That
really stuck with me. The film then takes us into a giant underground facility,
the camera moving quickly through the corridors as we try to figure out just
what we’re seeing. But, relax, for as the narrator said, it doesn’t matter if we
don’t know the names for what we’re seeing. But do we understand it without
words? Is that possible for us anymore? Can I relax, let go, and just
experience the images? Is that what the movie is asking me to do?
There are images of all sorts of machinery that I don’t understand at all. We
learn that the machinery there works to accelerate particles as close to the
speed of light as possible.
The film asks questions about the perception of time, how
it passes, whether animals perceive its passing, and so on. One guy explains what
time means for him: “Time is a part of
space. We cannot take away the time from the space.” Those speaking on camera
are not identified. And again, I imagine that goes back to the idea of not
needing to know the names of what we see – here, quite literally withholding
names. And in fact, while we hear several voices expressing various thoughts
related to time, we see images of nature. The people doing the talking don’t
matter; that is, it doesn’t matter who specifically is voicing any given
thought. It could be those of us watching for that matter. It probably is us.
The film includes some gorgeous shots of nature in winter,
and some stunning shots of trees, as the camera moves among them. There are
shots of embers looking like a school of fish, jumping and diving together. But perhaps the most incredible shots are those of the lava moving. This footage is astounding and eerie and unreal, the lava flow seeming like a giant
creature with a mind, a plan, a goal, a direction. Ultimately, the film feels to be
more about the images then offering any fresh insights on the question of time.
The film is like an engaging meditation. It’s about the problem of being
present in time, living in the moment, and perhaps this film itself helps us do
just that, for there isn’t really a narrative to think back on, or to guess where
it’s leading. Just watch and experience it.
Special Features
The DVD includes a commentary track by director Peter
Mettler and story editor Alexandra Rockingham Gill, who often acts as a
moderator, asking Mettler questions about the film. They talk about how the
opening footage came from the U.S. Air Force, and Peter Mettler says he always
wanted to start a film with a shot of someone falling from the sky. And yes, he
does talk about the machinery and that facility at the beginning, giving more
information. By the way, he mentions that the title refers to the end of the
idea of time, not the end of the world.
There is also a written biography of filmmaker Peter
Mettler, as well as a photo gallery.
The End Of Time
was directed by Peter Mettler, and was released on DVD on April 15, 2014
through First Run Features. Peter Mettler also directed Picture Of Light, which is also available on DVD through First Run
Features.
