The End of Time

A MEDITATION ON TIME Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler takes his sweet time making films. In the years since the transcendental epic Gambling, Gods and LSD (2002), Mettler again has traveled the world amassing mind-blowing images and sensations, and returns to Locarno with a meditation on a subject we experience daily but rarely take the time to ponder: time itself. His leapfrogging across space takes him from the now-famous particle accelerator in CERN to the ruins of Detroit to the lava flow of Big Island of Hawaii and to a Hindu death rite in India. Within each sub-adventure, experts and regular people provide their opinions on the meaning and uses of time, often in voice-over. Mettler proceeds instinctively; each unpredictable edit builds up an opus linked by the ephemeral presence of billowing clouds. And there is clearly a presence behind these images. Mettler's highly personal approach to a vast subject that is essentially unfilmable is not philosophical, rather perceptual (and ultimately environmental). Seemingly random - as random, say, as the weather - Mettler's trippy films work as perceptual experiences, and The End of Time makes viewers conscious of cinematic time, and of their own sense of time as they are watching the film. What does it mean to be a viewer, sitting in a theatre watching a film about a film about time? Like the scientists in CERN, Mettler is exploring for the sake of knowing -- free your mind, and the rest will follow. (Mark Peranson, Pardo Live Locarno)

The interviews are ok, but there is just too much time wasted in nonsense videos of snow or close-ups of cables.

I couldn't make it past the first 20 minutes.

Beautiful, mesmerizing meditation piece. Very gutsy to do as there is no story, not a series of interviews with experts: it's an experience and the theme of time is almost incidental.

The photography, music and image editing are all stunning. But none of them are "artsy" to call attention to themselves. They all contribute to this meditative experience. I love the fact that the venues range from LHC/CERN to Detroit to life at the edge of a volcano and it's ceaseless lava flow.

If you must have plot, tension and resolution to enjoy a movie, this is not for you. If you are ready to sit back and enjoy a beautiful experience, this will blow you away.

I've never taken time out to write a review for anything, ever ... But something needs to be said to warn others. This feature could have been edited to 30 minutes. I'm not sure if dragging on for endless minutes though irrelevant content was the directors attempt at contributing to the message they were trying to convey but this was horrible.

I know someones blood,sweat, tears most likely went into this but ... WHAT IS IT?!???

I don't even know where to start...

I would love to see some detailed explanation of how and why this film got the awards that it did.

This Canadian-made documentary explores the subject of time on a theoretical level. The camera does most of the work in various locations including an engineering/science laboratory in Switzerland, lava flows in Hawaii, abandoned neighbourhoods and buildings in Detroit, and a Hindu funeral near the sight of Buddha's enlightenment.

The camera work and accompanying music are beautiful and moving. Some of the ideas expressed are interesting as well. However, the film is not interesting enough to justify its near two-hour length. Near the end, it was difficult to remain attentive (and awake).