Dante 500
I’m keen to discuss this documentary with others because while the premise is very intriguing and the production value is high, I was deeply disappointed in the characters and the energy they brought to this film.
The tone of the movie is deeply self serious. Goofy? No. These are image-forward men who very likely listen to a ton of Joe Rogan, working through their strict daddy issues through drugs, running and punching each other in the face. They run, not for joy or community or connection to nature, but for ego and pain. There are many different people in this world who run ultras and they all run for different reasons, but personally I found these men’s attitudes and motives to be quite bleak.
Ultra running is absurd in the best way. Watch just about any documentary about the Barkley marathon and you’ll see people celebrating in the grueling absurdity. Many physical pursuits in the great outdoors are like this. Climbers might be aware of Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll, the merry alpinist with a merry little flute who often suffers with a smile in hard alpine terrain not for ego inflation but for ego death. Sadly this can’t be said for Dante and his crew who very much rely on their egos to keep them moving.
This movie is not a celebration of running absurd distances with absurd tactics. It’s about serious men doing serious things to address serious problems. I finished, not with excitement to run, but with a sadness for these men.