Ultima Thule -
  A Voyage to the Edge of the World 2005

Cast, collaboraters and technical informations
Website www.ultimathule.ch                                       

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Still photography
Filming in Switzerland
Filming in Alaska
Map of th Wrangell-St.Elias National Park

Once upon a time I, Zhuang Zhou,
dreamt I was a butterfly,
A happily fluttering butterfly,
who knew nothing
about the existence of Zhuang Zhou.

Suddenly I awoke and was Zhuang Zhou again.
Now I am not sure: am I Zhuang Zhou,
Who dreamt he was a butterfly.
Or am I in reality a butterfly,
Who is dreaming that he is Zhuang Zhou?
Surely there must be a difference
between Zhuang Zhou and a butterfly!
Zhuang Zhou (also known as Dschuang Tse)
Chinese Philosopher

When the successful stockbroker Alfred Böhler sets out for work he has no idea what a dramatic turn his life will be taking.  He is involved in a serious accident. An eagle flutters up and settles on a branch in a nearby tree. Its eyes big, of unfathomable depth. It looks down onto the site of the accident. Fred sees himself, streaming with blood, strangely contorted.

Rescue teams arrive, give him first aid. They take him to the intensive care station, where the doctors and nurses fight to save his life. Anita, his wife, approaches his bed.

During this time he - or is it the eagle - takes an interior journey through the world. He experiences it in an intensity he has never known before. Everything is imbued with life, even the seemingly dead world of the stones. With the eagle, he flies over the endless chains of mountains and ice fields in Wrangell-St. EliasNational Park in Alaska. Soaring over peaks and glaciers, he arrives in warmer

realms, where he discovers the power of life. As he encounters with the primeval landscapes of Alaska, he remembers his earlier ambitions of becoming a natural scientist. He perceives how plants have conquered the terminal moraines, transposing them into gardens. He enters into the microcosm of a drop of water, where the tiniest living creatures, like those that contributed to forming the earth itself, fill him with joy. On and on, he strides along the path of evolution, where he encounters incredibly beautiful flowers, the comical squirrel, but also the mighty elk and buffalo. Does he even want to go back?

Meanwhile, in the intensive care station, his body lies motionless. Machines sustain his vital bodily functions. Detached, he receives the intensive care given by the doctors and nurses. Nor does he seem to be aware of Anita's concern. No one knows whether or not he will survive. No one knows where he is. No one can imagine what a fantastic journey his spirit is making during this time. The power of life and love wins over death - this time - and leads him back into our world, where his wife  Anita welcomes him.