Big River Man (2009)

Big River Man
Type Feature Film
MPAA Rating NR
Runtime 1hr 40mins.
Genres Nature, Short Film, Sports & Recreation
Status Published
US Release Date 12/04/2009
Synopsis
Four time world record holding endurance swimmer Martin Strel attempts to swim all 3,375 miles of the mighty Amazon River as filmmaker John Maringoin follows him on every stroke of his treacherous and fantastic journey. Over the course of sixty-six grueling days, the hard-drinking, overweight, fifty-two year old Strel would draw on sheer willpower to accomplish his lofty goal as a hand-picked group of faith-healers, outsiders, and drunks cheered him along from the shoreline. The resulting is a film that not only focuses on the trials that Strel endured on his record-breaking swim, but also draws much-needed attention to the Amazonian Rain Forest - a landscape that faces an uncertain future due to the combined stresses of progress and pollution.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide