At one point in my engineering career, I was twice required to travel to Panama, each time to spend a month living in the tropical rainforest during the rainy season, measuring the performance of R&D items for the government. I covered myself with Deet-based insect repellent, tucked my genes into my waterproof boots, and taped the interface. Even though I had my Yellow Fever shots before leaving the States, I wanted to avoid mosquito bites, and I wanted to discourage chiggers from crawling up my legs to embed themselves under my skin where they like to lay their eggs. During the day, when I trekked through the jungle to sensors that needed attention, I was constantly trying to avoid the Fer-de-lance and the Bushmaster, foppishly described as three-step snakes; if bitten, you take only three steps before you fall to the ground. Inch-long ants and four foot long lizards were common. In the evening, hundreds of bats mysteriously appeared, noiselessly swooping and twisting through the air in a futile attempt to reduce the insect population. Toilets were wherever one decided to squat. The only charming aspects of the experience were: being able to look up into the night sky devoid of sky glow and clearly seeing the star cloud that’s the Milky Way; and, an occasional visit to the Tarpon Club near the Gatun Spillway for a great Lobster Thermador. Otherwise, I absolutely hated it.

In The Art of Travel, Conner Layne (Christopher Masterson) travels to South and Central America and actually agrees to an arduous, 388-day trek through the Panamanian and Colombian jungles. I had flashbacks that sent shivers up my spine. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Conner, a seemingly bright and intelligent guy, is getting married at the ripe old age of eighteen. He hasn’t even started college yet, but he’s getting married. Alas, things aren’t quite right; I’ll not explain the amusing circumstances, but the wedding is a bust and Conner impulsively decides to visit Nicaragua to clear his head.

This is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that he’s victimized, not once but twice, and loses all his valuables. (He uses such bad judgment that even an eighteen year old should know better.) The good news is he’s befriended by a couple of attractive Scandinavian women and will enjoy a threesome before moving on. But this is only the lighthearted overture to this more somber symphony of travel and self-discovery.

Conner meets Darlene (Brooke Burns) and Christopher Loren (Johnny Messner) in Panama just days before he’s scheduled to leave for home to begin his college education. The Loren’s are about to attempt the damn-near impossible: over a year’s trek through impenetrable jungle, cutting and slashing their way from Panama to Colombia. And not only are there the hazards of isolation and the animals that could do you harm, there is the dangerous FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that have the reputation of murder, robbery, and kidnapping. The Loren’s put together a crew, but are short one man. And after a chat during which Conner describes his adventures in South America, they decide that he’s their man. After suitable hesitation and cogitation, he does, of course, join them (it wouldn’t be much of a flick otherwise).

Among the crew is Anna (Angelika Baran), affectionately nicknamed “G-Spot” by her male companions, Taylor “One Ball” (James Duval), Carlos “Bullet” (Shalim Ortiz), and Justin “Two Dogs” (Jake Muxworthy). Armed with one semiautomatic pistol, enough machetes to go around, and an overloaded Jeep, they push off, hacking and slashing. Each night, they sit around a campfire, drinking what seems to be an inexhaustible supply of canned beer, bonding and sharing, and entertaining one another, not infrequently with practical jokes.

This is the travel equivalent of Zen: a means to push oneself into unchartered territories, dealing with the unexpected, and achieving a higher state of consciousness. And ultimately getting the girl; Conner and Anna become an item. I’ll not describe the trek; suffice it to say that it is both arduous and mind expanding. And it evokes wanderlust in Conner that he didn’t know existed.

He and Anna will travel farther together; we join their quest to visit the glorious Machu Picchu, the incredible pre-Colombian Inca site high in the Peruvian mountains. Conner’s story arc is poignant but a little predictable, having been telegraphed earlier in the film. It ends with a wonderful little twist that leaves the viewer laughing.
 
This is a modest little film that traveled to Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru to capture authenticity. It excels at portraying travel as an end rather than a means, but much of what Conner puts himself through seems masochistic. The cast is uniformly believable and credible. I might not understand the impulse for this kind of travel self-abuse, but I can appreciate the characters’ journeys. The Art of Travel is an odd blend of travelogue and drama, with wonderful locations and intriguing psychological motivations to explore.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in a soft anamorphic video transfer. The lack of detail is a great pity. The density of the jungle and the grand vista of Machu Picchu cry out for high definition. Chroma seems a bit underwhelming. The verdant rainforest should have come alive with a visceral lushness that’s absent. Flesh tones are reasonable natural. The video dynamic range is okay. You’ll see noticeable halos on edges of high contrast throughout. I didn’t notice any macroblocking or mosquito noise.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 is quite nice. It really comes alive in the jungle, with tree frogs, birds, and insects enveloping the viewer. Deep bass isn’t present; perhaps the growl of the Jeep’s engine is as far as it goes. Sound effects are serviceable without calling attention to themselves. This is a dialog-driven film, and the spoken word is presented well most of the time. However, on several occasions, I could not understand what some of the actors were saying. For example, I didn’t understand Anna’s nick name to be G-Spot until I did a little research for this review.

The optional subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Just a couple of First Look trailers.

Final Thoughts

I’m a little conflicted. Certain aspects of this film are intriguing, but the prolonged trek through the jungle tends to be a bit tedious, and an inevitable confrontation with the FARC seems forced and incredulous. On the other hand, it does take the viewer to places few of us will ever get to see. Perhaps a rental.