The Edge of Existence (dir. Aaron Wheeler)

By: Adam Freed

A little more than 200 miles west of Scotland's craggy shoreline, the menacing islet of Rockall protrudes like a hulking statue from the dark churn of the Atlantic.  The uninhabited granite island is an imposing reminder that Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.  The tip of the prehistoric volcano has come to epitomize isolation, as it sits alone in permanence, far beyond visual connection to any other landmass, a world unto itself. What could possibly entice a man to tempt fate by attempting to live atop this wind-blistered crag?  The answer to this psychological query is the focus of Aaron Wheeler’s fascinating man vs. nature vs. himself documentary The Edge of Existence.  Enter Cam Cameron, a seemingly ordinary man, other than the exponential impact that Rockall’s magnetic draw seems to hold over his fate.  Perhaps it is Cameron himself who best explains the invisible power that Rockall holds over him by reminding audiences that while 4,000 people have climbed Mt. Everest and 12 have walked on the moon, only 5 have ever spent a night on Rockall.  More plausible though, are the explanations of perilous wanderlust outlined in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild or Werner Herzog’s unforgettable documentary Grizzly Man (2005).  It would seem outwardly that Cam Cameron is called by the same siren’s song that entranced Chris McCandless and Timothy Treadwell respectively leading to their untimely demise.

It isn’t until Aaron Wheeler’s fearless piece of filmmaking first captures Rockall’s hulking silhouette on the barren horizon that the magnitude of what Cameron is attempting to accomplish actually takes hold.  The Edge of Existence proves to be far more than a convenient title for a documentary as the likable Scotsman faces unrelenting pressures from both wind and sea in his pursuit of the 46 day record for living atop Rockall.  As Cameron clutches to life perched on the side of the isolated rock formation, Aaron Wheeler tactfully dives into the psychology of a man willing to leave his career, wife, children and elderly mother behind in pursuit of the life-threatening adventure.  While there is a great deal of professed realization on Cameron’s part, it doesn’t ever become clear that his motivations are entirely altruistic, rather that there are some cavernous holes in his story that the adventurer is attempting to fill via his ominous pursuits.

While The Edge of Existence leaves plenty to be interpreted regarding the root of Cameron’s motivation, the documentary withholds nothing by way of its cinematic grandeur.  Very few people will ever look upon the impressive stature of Rockall with their own eyes, and thanks to Aaron Wheeler, (Tributary, Better Together) none will ever see it in more menacing detail than in The Edge of Existence.  There is a passing tranquility to be found in the North Atlantic that is counterbalanced by its dark and deadly turbulence.  The duplicitous body of water is captured both gorgeously and ominously, revealing its effortless beauty and penchant for destruction.  Stories like those of Cam Cameron are hardly new, as history is full of people, particularly men, who have established a reliable penchant for traipsing into the wild in search of meaning and relief from whatever it is that ails them.  The Edge of Existence avoids leaning into clichéd pursuits thanks to the gifted eye of its promising documentarian Aaron Wheeler, who seems on to be embarking on an adventurous career of his own.

Target Score: 7.5/10 - Director Aaron Wheeler offers forth a memorable adventure set in one of the most remote and unimaginable places on the planet.  Despite the questionable motivations of the film’s central character, The Edge of Existence is a gorgeously rendered documentary sure to satiate even the most gripping bouts of wanderlust.