Epecuén: Danny MacAskill’s latest film of trials virtuosity

One never tires of Danny MacAskill’s skills. We’ve seen the trials specialist flip, bounce and drop in all sorts of locations—from his native Scotland to a fantasy world of giant kid’s toys. In his latest video appearance, MacAskill takes his mad talents to Epecuén, an Argentinian tourist town that was destroyed by a flood in 1985. The place is now abandoned, providing MacAskill with a a post-apocalypic playground.

“I first came across Epecuén around two years ago on an abandoned-city blog, while looking for inspiration and locations to keep in mind for a project,” said MacAskill on the Redbull website that takes you behind the scenes of the film. “I was completely blown away by the images I saw, and could not believe there was so little information about it. I knew there and then I had to visit and make a film.”

In this video, MacAskill’s abilities are, as always, jaw-droppingly good. The film is stunning, part Edward Burtynsky and part Mad Max. But there is a bit of a disconnect between the action and the setting in Epecuén. What MacAskill does is “play” at the highest level, which is why the Imaginate video, in a child’s playroom, is a perfect match of action and setting. In Epecuén, it seems the brief monologue by a town resident that starts the film and the melancholy pop soundtrack that backs the MacAskill’s riding are supposed act as a bit of an homage to the tragedy of the flood. That’s a bit of a mismatch. Trying to honour a tragedy with wicked tricks is a bit glib.

Still, despite the misstep in tone, Epecuén a compelling watch, for the tricks and the scenery.