The man who looked beyond the horizon

De man die achter de horizon keek

More than 40 years ago, Bas Jan Ader decided to go on an adventure. In a tiny sailing boat, the Dutchman set sail for England from the United States. Nine months later, the boat was found adrift at sea, but there was no sign of Ader.

It’s a story that has always fascinated filmmaker Martijn Blekendaal, not just because of the disappearance itself, but also because of the entire mystery that surrounds it. Blekendaal embarks on an investigation that eventually lands him in Hollywood.

But The Man Who Looked Beyond the Horizon is by no means the average investigative documentary. It turns out that, in order to understand what drove this man to his fateful voyage, the filmmaker has to overcome his fear of looking beyond his own horizon. In a whirlwind montage of images jumping from one time, place and person to another, Blekendaal shows us that Bas Jan Ader left behind something more special than just a mystery.