TV Obsessive
One Strange Rock: The Mind-Boggling Majesty of Mother Earth
Vincent: The documentary series One Strange Rock aired two years ago. It was brought to life by the production company Nutopia in association with film director Darren Aronofsky and is narrated by Will Smith. It is an incredibly unique documentary that is told from the most unique point of view one could have—that being from the perspective of eight astronauts. The space cadets in question have spent a combined total of over 1000 days in space aboard the International Space Station. These shared experiences have helped them garner a birdseye view of the world.
They have had the privilege to see our home in a way only a handful of lucky people have had before or since. The astronauts in question go through each episode regaling us with these experiences: their first times in space, and how they clamber to gain a view of the world down below from the port window aboard the I.S.S. They speak of the majesty of the Earth and the infiniteness of space. The way they describe them both is so vivid and mind-boggling.
But the creators of One Strange Rock don’t ask us to take their word for it. Instead what they do is assemble some of the most astonishingly magnificent images and shots of our planet that have ever been assembled. Along the 10 episode run, the creators take us to some of the most otherworldly corners of Earth, allowing us a glimpse inside the lives and homes of some of the most resilient people that exist today, living in some of the harshest environments that this planet has to offer.
We get a chance to see how alien some parts of our world look. How they look as though they are uninhabitable, showing us all the strength of human resolve and how adept we are at adapting to our circumstances, and that with our adaptions we often thrive against all of the odds. One Strange Rock shows us that the human spirit and will has the ability to survive almost anywhere no matter the obstacles, as long as we are given the chance and the time to succeed in those places.
It is not just the people and the places that they call home that the creators of One Strange Rock focus on, it is also the mechanics that make these worlds possible. They break down the different symbiotic relationships that sustain these luscious landscapes and the barren boroughs that are filled with their own form of bleak beauty. They shine a light on some of the microscopic unsung heroes that make life on our planet possible and how interlinked the entire global ecosystem is.
The creators of One Strange Rock took great care in bringing us a fresh angle from some of the most important but yet unheralded parts of the globe. Showing us that this world we take for granted is filled with a majesty that is beyond the imagining. That even though our focus is often pointed outward into the vastness of space, this home of ours is filled with so many secrets, just waiting to be discovered.
Those are our recommendations this week! What are yours? Let us know in the comments!
