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We had a trailer up for The Road to Patagonia the other day, and I was very interested. It’s not a movie, it’s a documentary about a man navigating his way down the west coast of America.
This wasn’t a simple road trip, he had a bike and sidecar, and his surfboards. His plan was to travel from Alaska, down the west coast, through Mexico, the west cost of South America to the southernmost tip, Patagonia. A journey of some 31,000 miles.
The Story
Matty Hannon is the director, and it was his journey he recorded:
The lives of two strangers are changed forever when they cross paths on the surfing adventure of a lifetime, discovering love, downshifting and four charismatic horses.
Along his travels, he meets wonderfully interesting people, like Heather, who joins him on some of the journey. The movie is a love story, not just between Matty and Heather, but about humanity and nature. Stick with me.
Matty grew up in Australia but found himself living in Indonesia with a family living in the woods. They had nothing, but they were happy; they had a roof over their heads and food to eat, what more do you want? A 90-inch LCD 4k TV with built-in 7.1 sound and a super-fast internet connection maybe.
Matty stays with them for about 5 years, but has to head back to Australia, where he ends up in a desk job. Soon, he had depression and was on prescribed meds. He says that in Indonesia, they don’t have words for ‘depression’ or ‘suicide’ because it happens so rarely.
Matty decides he wants to travel again, sells everything he has, buys a bike and side car and head off on the Road to Patagonia. He meets other people, who are living a simple life, some would say a free life.
Heather has a small farm, where she grows her own food and makes enough to sell at market. There’s no internet, no TV, no social media, and she’s a happy person. Matty is reluctant to leave her, but it’s OK; she joins him later.
Back to Nature
They say about America, it’s the ‘Land of the Free, Home of the Brave’. Are most Americans free, though? You need a house, so you need money. There’s a car that needs fuel, so you need money. Social media tells people what to do. All these things tie people down.
Watching The Road to Patagonia, I tried to remind myself of the last time I went camping. It was a long time ago, but I remember being outdoors, seeing the stars, listening to the wolves getting closer and closer.
I’m joking about the wolves, but being out with nature, you can forget everything for a short while. No phones, no social media, no job. For just a short while, you can feel completely free. I haven’t felt that for a long time.
Matty takes me back to that feeling, he had genuine freedom, just his bike, his surfboards, and his camping gear. He works here and there, usually on farms, to get some money for fuel and food. No matter how free we try to become, we are all still tied down a little.
When Matty is rejoined by Heather, they swap the bikes for horses. The fuel is cheaper, and it’s more in touch with nature, in the end, the horses become part of the group, with their own personalities.
Campaigning
On the Road to Patagonia, Matty meets people who have been oppressed and others who have lost their land to corporations and big businesses. Lands have been devastated; animals have been killed off, and some people have been murdered.
You can understand why Matty is now a campaigner for helping indigenous people keep their land. Also, to help the protection of some species of animals. I know it sounds a little preachy, but it’s not like that. It’s just a reminder of how nature is important.
The fact that Matty felt the freedom he had in Indonesia reminded him of what life is about and what true freedom can mean.
Overall
I really enjoyed The Road to Patagonia. Matty seems like a genuinely nice guy, and his adventure has some really ups and downs. I’ve requested an interview with him because I think he would be fascinating to talk to.
I love documentaries about other cultures. There’s a guy in the UK, Bruce Parry, who spends time with indigenous tribes around the world. He’ll spend months with them sometimes, learning about their history and culture. Road to Patagonia is the same type of thing.
There’s obviously a lot of the story I have left out, but I do recommend The Road to Patagonia if you want something a little different and something interesting.
The Road to Patagonia is released on the 30th of May on the Icon Film channel and then on the 27th of June for a theatrical release.
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