'Antarctica: A Year on Ice': Work in a brutal climate

Antarctica: A Year on Ice isn't a nature documentary, though it does contain some wonderful panoramic time-lapse footage of the frozen continent.

This labor of love from Anthony Powell (producer, director, writer, cinematographer) is more of a work diary, tracing the extreme ebbs and flows of staff living and toiling at McMurdo Station, Antarctica's largest research facility, over the course of a year.

During the summer, which begins in October, upward of 5,000 people fly into the polar region to staff the roughly 30 international outposts. By the time the brutal winter blows in, in February, less than 700 remain to brave the long, dark, and lonely season.

Powell crafted some ingenious gadgets to facilitate outdoor time-lapse photography in bitterly cold conditions. Even so, his window of opportunity was narrow. It's dark for four months of the year at McMurdo, and even when the sun does show, winds topping 200 m.p.h. create howling whiteout vistas.

Powell perforce takes his camera indoors to document the hardy souls trying desperately to avoid cabin fever. (Or is that station stasis?)

Ironically, the time-lapse footage of the people hustling from one building to the other in their puffy parkas makes them look very much like the colony of Adelie penguins that Powell includes elsewhere.

There's some stunning and humbling footage here - of wind-sculpted geological formations, vast landscapes without vegetation, of clouds roiling across the sky, vaporish green aurora australis shimmering in the air.

But mostly what you get is a chronicle of tedious routine carried out in a killing climate. That gives this documentary a flavor that is strong and genuine. Just not very appealing.

Directed by Anthony Powell. With Christine Powell, Genevieve Bachman, Michael Christiansen,   Tom Hamann. Distributed by Music Box Films.

Playing time: 1 hour, 31 mins.

Parent's guide: PG (mature themes, mild language).

Playing at: Ritz at the Bourse. EndText