Kon-Tiki: A true tale that changed history

With the ever-accelerating use of technology to make scientific leaps, it's a refreshing experience to come across a story where someone returns to primitive methods, in order to establish a scientific claim. “Kon-Tiki” is based on true events from the 1947 expedition by Norwegian ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl, where he and his crew sailed over 4,000 nautical miles across the Pacific on a Balsa wood raft. Heyerdahl was inspired by archeological evidence, native legends and drawings by the Spanish conquistadors – to come to the conclusion that the ancestors of the Polynesian people came from South America.
As Heyerdahl's (Pal Sverre Hagen) quest to secure funding for an expedition resulted in ridicule, he roams New York for potential investors, but finds an unlikely comrade in a refrigerator salesman Herman (Anders Bassmo Christiansen).
A crew of six – Thor Heyerdahl, Erik Hesselberg, Bengt Danielson, Knut Haugland, Torstein Raaby, and Herman Watzinger -- along with a pet parrot named Lorita -- is soon assembled; and with the backing of the Peruvian government, the raft is built using only materials available to ancient indigenous people.
Determined in re-creating the journey as it was originally taken, Heyerdahl uses hemp ropes to tie up the Balsa logs and refuses any modern equipment on board Kon-Tiki except for a radio. The journey that follows is filled with storms, sharks, boat leaks, and most importantly - the growing tension and bonding of friendship among the adventurers during the 101-day quest.
The movie stands out from the latest special-effects-filled Hollywood spectacles because of its simplicity. Much like Heyerdahl's boat, the film relies on the more elementary storytelling techniques. Unlike many other sea-faring movies, the scenes in “Kon-Tiki” were shot in the open ocean, instead of a set, to bring a more authentic feel to the film. The isolation-filled voyage may remind the viewer of “Life of Pi”, but here – the tiger on a boat is replaced by circling sharks in the sea. Directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg's formidable job in bringing the ocean to the screens was rewarded with nominations for Best Foreign Language Film at both the 85th Academy Awards and the 70th Golden Globe. The first Norwegian film to seize the dual honor,” Kon-Tiki” was also the highest-grossing film of 2012 in Norway and the country's most expensive production to date.
Thor Heyerdahl's book about his experience was published in 1948 as “The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas”. A documentary film on the expedition, also called “Kon-Tiki”, won an Academy Award in 1951.