A Stranger Quest

At a time when even the ends of the earth have been captured either on paper or terabytes, are there any unchartered territories left? When there is nearly nothing left to discover on the planet’s surface, how will humans find an outlet for their innate need to explore? Profound existential questions such as these emerge from Andrea Gatopoulos’ film, which at first glance seems like the portrait of David Rumsey, a near-obsessive map collector. Rumsey, apart from his tangible, paper collection, has also amassed another one; one that is digital, existing on the online platform Second Life, a space transcending its function as an archive, as he himself calls it a poem. Similarly, the film serves not only as a documentary about Rumsey, but also as a pretext for mapping out a fervent passion, an enticing fixation, a query on the anxiety surrounding notions such as heritage, legacy, as well as the meaning of life itself.