Kayak documentaries rarely interest people outside of the paddling community. Steve Fisher's "Congo - The Grand Inga Project" is a rare exception, because Fisher manages to turn himself and his fellow kayakers into characters rather than crazy stuntmen. Some added historical and cultural background to the paddling action lift this movie miles above the usual "paddle porn", that merely consists of footage of crazy river descents mixed with cool music.
"Congo" features the attempt of Steve Fisher, one of the best kayakers in the world, to run the Inga Rapids of the Congo River for the first time ever. These rapids are considered to be the largest rapids in the world, measured by the sheer volume of water. All previous attempts to pass through the enormous cataracts have failed and costed many lives. Nonetheless, Fisher thinks, that it is possible to navigate through waves, literally at the size of trucks, and whirlpools, that could swallow a car.
So, the stakes are set, and they are high. And when the expedition finally sets of, the tension really is there and Fisher manages to capture the dynamics of the group, their worries, but also their abilities very well. What sets this apart from other paddle documentaries are the added layers of historical background about the Congo region and previous attempts to pass through Inga. The difficulties of getting such a huge expedition of the ground in the heart of Africa make for a nice subplot, that helps to carry the movie to the 90 minutes mark without feeling stretched.
If you like adventure documentaries and want to witness, how human people conquered one the last remaining white spots on the global map, than this is for you.
