Sounds of the South (2021)

Directed by: Hubert T. Neufeld | 52 minutes | documentary

‘Sounds of the South’ is the cinematic account of the journey to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic region that musician Ruben Hein made in 2020. For 22 days he explored the southernmost parts of our planet, with stops in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a childhood dream come true for Hein, as he has been a true nature lover and bird watcher from an early age. A visit to Antarctica was a long-cherished wish that the singer and pianist had already let go of. But in 2020, as artist in residence, he received a surprising invitation to join an expedition to the South Pole.

The film starts in the busy Netherlands, where the musician prepares for the trip and points out in books which species he hopes to admire. As a bird lover, feathered beauties such as albatrosses, king penguins and the rare snow petrel are of course high on his wish list, but an immense pirate like the leopard seal is also a dream species. What follows is a journey through some of the most pristine areas left on the planet. Mighty and monstrous icebergs, huge penguin colonies, colossal whales and swarms of elegantly soaring seabirds: they show a world that bears no resemblance to the concrete jungles and screen-dominated environments in which the bulk of modern humanity works and lives.

In his cabin Hein builds his own music studio with a few small keyboards, a microphone, laptop and notepad. The goal: to translate all the impressions and inspiration provided by the sometimes surreal landscapes and thousands of iconic animals into a musical ode to nature. After a somewhat slow, not always interesting beginning, a beautiful portrait of the Antarctic wilderness unfolds, which is nicely colored by the atmospheric and dreamy music of Ruben Hein. His voice-over provides valuable information about how the sounds and sights of Antarctica provide him with musical inspiration and metaphors.

The image of Antarctica that arises in ‘Sounds of the South’ is twofold and paradoxical: desolate and rugged, but at the same time vulnerable and enormously susceptible to modern environmental problems such as climate change and plastic pollution. This makes ‘Sounds of the South’ not only a film document that reports on Hein’s search for inspiration, wonder and creative stimuli, but also a strong plea for the preservation of one of the world’s last truly wild places.