How did I celebrate being done with reviewing Christmas movies?  By watching Kon-Tiki (2012).  It had, on the surface, a few things to recommend to this historian by education.  It is based on a true story and is about a sea voyage.  I can be a sucker for a tale of braving the open ocean and defying the odds for survival.  Also, the name of the person, Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen), who organized the expedition that formed the basis of the film, rang a faint bell in the back of mind.  Because I found the viewing to be somewhat enjoyable, I decided to do some extra research on him.  As you read what follows, keep a few things in mind.  First, what is missing from these proceedings is the racial component.  Thor believed the vessel upon which he floated across the Pacific Ocean to have been originally built by white European descendants who set forth from Peru to head west and settle Polynesia.  To him, the current residents of the South Pacific were incapable of such a feat.  These theories have been thoroughly debunked.  Secondly, such views are not subscribed to by the Catholic Church.  This last bit has nothing to do with the plot, but I feel compelled to point it out anyway.

It would seem that there is little compelling Thor to do anything at the beginning of Kon-Tiki.  He is in the South Pacific with his wife, Liv Heyerdahl (Agnes Kittelsen), studying Polynesian culture.  It is 1937, and the things that they are finding lead to more questions for him.  He is particularly struck when one local he interviews makes the claim that their people came from the east, where everything originates.  Any further inquiries on these matters, though, have to be put on hold until after World War II.  Despite the global conflict, they do not leave Thor’s mind.  As discussed in the introduction, he has a theory that he wishes to prove that people from South America crossed westward through the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Everyone to whom he speaks points out the folly of his theory, and that it brazenly contradicts accepted science.  He rightly responds that the point of science is to test theories and push boundaries.  Nonetheless, funding for his expedition is refused wherever he goes in the United States, particularly by National Geographic.  One issue they have with his ideas is the design of his ship, which is actually a balsa wood raft tied together by primitive lashing.  One sailor he speaks to who claims to have survived on a similar craft while adrift in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II tells Thor that the planks will eventually split apart.  The person who notices Thor’s drawing of his barque, and its design flaw, is a traveling refrigerator salesman named Herman Watzinger (Anders Baasmo Christiansen), who has a background in engineering.  As they get to talking, Herman recommends a pointed prow in order to reduce the stress on the individual logs.  So excited does he get about the project that he volunteers to go on the voyage despite not having any experience at sea, or knowledge that they will have funding for the expedition.  This last part is given a boost when Herman and Thor visit the Explorer’s Club in New York City, where they are encouraged by other intrepid adventurers to continue.  The person who is not thrilled by the quest is Liv.  She is back in their native Norway with their two children wanting her husband and their father back home for Christmas.  Indeed, it appears that she is close ending their relationship during the conversations they manage to have on the phone.  Nonetheless, Thor presses on to Peru, where he gets financial backing from the Peruvian president, José Bustamante y Rivero (Manuel Cauchi), and assistance from the United States Navy (USN).  Thor also meets the rest of his crew there, including cameraman Bengt Danielsson (Gustaf Skarsgård), who provides the camera to document the trip.  It is Bengt who suggests they record the crossing, which will help them to gain recognition for their efforts.  With a slew of going away parties, they leave the Peruvian shores and head into the Pacific Ocean.  Things immediately begin to go wrong.  The first problem is the radio, which they have trouble getting to work.  The situation is not helped when their parrot chews away the line for their antenna, which is held aloft by a balloon.  Another issue they notice is the fact that they are followed by a shiver of sharks.  By the way, raise your hand if you knew that is what a group of sharks is called.  In the desperate times ahead, they are almost eaten on a couple occasions.  One of these moments includes when Herman, who is stressing about the bindings coming apart, pleads that they be replaced with steel cables.  Thor insists that they keep to the ancient ways and throws the modern material overboard.  In his dejectedness, Herman slips over the side and almost becomes fish food.  However, the most nerve-wracking issue is their drift north towards the Galapagos Islands instead their intended route west.  The worry is that they will get caught in the “Galapagos Maelstrom,” which will either sink them or send them back to South America.  Either outcome is not desirable, which is why it is a joyous relief when they finally make that westward turn.  From there, they make it to Raroia Atoll in the South Pacific only a day past his 100-day goal.  After clearing one last hurdle in the form of the surrounding reefs, they set feet on terra firma for the time in over three months.

There are a few post-scripts before the end credits roll in Kon-Tiki that explain the fate of these six adventurers.  Once more, there is no mention of Thor’s racial motivations for the expedition.  Indeed, there is little criticism of him at all, instead focusing on his accomplishments.  The footage that they obtain while making the crossing is turned into a documentary that wins him an Academy Award in 1951, for example.  We should not be afraid to tell the whole, honest story of the past.  That is true then, and it is true today.  This can also be applied to Faith.  Ironically enough, this is what Thor uses to encourage his crew when they are at their lowest.  Yet, it is not specifically tied to a religion, but a sort of bland faith that he hopes they will continue to place in him and their mission.  At times, it appears that not even he believes the line as they face an uncertain route and possible shark attack.  What he cannot do is be honest with the others.  He must present a strength of character that says they will reach their destination.  At the same time, God wants us to be honest with ourselves, not to mention with others.  A truthful heart hears the voice of God.  The Bible puts it better, such as in John 10:27, which reads, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”  This is how Jesus describes a follower to His disciples.  This is not to negate the goodness of having a goal.  If one could set aside some of the darker aspects of his undertaking, Thor can at least be credited for having a vision and sticking to it.  Alternatively, we have to listen to God without reservation when He might be calling us in a different direction.

You might think a movie about a nearly directionless raft like Kon-Tiki might be a long one.  It is not, clocking in at a little over an hour and a half.  That is a good length for such a long voyage.  Finally, ignoring the background story I elucidated, it is not a bad sea tale.