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AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Action/Adventure - Development 2017

In the immediate aftermath of WW II a mysterious stranger carrying Nazi gold washes up on an Argentine shore and changes a young kid's life forever.

- Year of production
- 2017
- Genres
- Action/Adventure, Historical, Epic
- Countries
- USA
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Budget
- 3 - 5 M$
- Duration
- 112 mn
- Writer(s)
- Darren ANDERSON, Clifford MORTS
- Producer(s)
- Philippe BRENNINKMEYER (Avenue ROAD FILMS)
- Synopsis
- For every person, there are defining moments in life. In these moments, decisions are made that alter the course of one’s life and, inevitably, the lives of those around them.
  
  The year is 1945, WWII is all but over, and Nazis are fleeing Europe for South America like rats from a sinking ship.
  Twelve-year-old Carlos Bala lives in a broken down lighthouse along the remote and rugged coastline of Patagonia, Argentina. His defining moment washes ashore in the form of a lifeless body. Like a character from his favorite book, Treasure Island, Carlos finds a small bag of diamonds tangled in the dead man’s hand and, in an instant, decides to steal the treasure.
  
  The “dead man” is Gerritt Toller, a low ranking U-Boat officer. Toller barely survived a hail of bullets as he jumped ship clutching the pouch of diamonds he swiped from his Nazi Captain, Hans Wermuth. Toller was wounded, but far from dead. As a storm raged and waves crashed around his disappearing target, Wermuth swore undying revenge on the thief and traitor.
  The following morning, barely alive, Gerritt is roused by the trumpeting of elephant seals. He immediately realizes that his treasure is gone and drags himself to his feet. Dazed and battered, he spies a lighthouse high above in the distance. Gerritt climbs his way up the rocky cliff only to collapse into the arms of a drunken Michael Bala, grandfather to Carlos and owner of the lighthouse.
  Michael Bala, a Welsh immigrant to Argentina, still mourns his son who he lost to the sea many years ago. He drowns his deep sorrows with alcohol. When Gerritt slumps into his arms, Michael believes that Gerritt is his long lost son. His hope rapidly turns to disappointment as he realizes this is just an injured sailor who he has no need for.
  Carlos quickly buries the treasure and hides out of sight unable to believe his eyes... the dead man is ALIVE.
  Susanna, Michael’s strong-willed daughter and Carlos’s aunt, convinces her father to take the injured man in and give him refuge.
  Carlos spends his days worrying what will happen when the stranger regains his strength. Who is he? Is he a Pirate? A thief? Will he figure out that Carlos stole his treasure? Does he already know? Will he creep into his room and strangle him in the dead of night? Should he strike first!?
  When her brother died, and her sister-in-law left, Susanna decided to raise Carlos as her own. Now in her mid thirties, she dutifully stays at this lonely outpost serving as cook, nurse and guardian to both her father and Carlos. She has long been courted by the persistent Parson Andres, but her obligation to Michael and Carlos keeps him at bay.
  Fredrick Laussen, a powerful landowner has grabbed all the land on the Valdez peninsula except that of his old school friend, Michael Bala. Laussen pressures Bala to sell his lot, pack up and move to the city, but Michael refuses. He suspects that Laussen needs his lighthouse to guide ships carrying Nazis and their plundered war treasures.
  Susanna, on the other hand, is finally ready to leave their land and start a new life. She is just about to accept the parson’s proposal yet cannot help but wonder what fate has brought to her doorstep. There is no denying her attraction to the stranger who washed ashore.
  
  Gerritt’s slow return to health leads to an improbable friendship with Carlos and a burgeoning romance with Susanna. He proves himself a charming, entertaining guest, and a capable mechanic. His skills come in handy as the lighthouse is in dire need of repair.
  When Gerritt travels to the town of Puerto Madryn for some tools, he collides with one of his comrades from the U-boat. Gerritt narrowly escapes capture and returns to the Bala home as fast as he can. Though he manages to repair the broken lighthouse and bring new life to Michael, Carlos and Susanna, he knows he cannot stay with them. Wermuth and his men are too close. Gerritt’s presence in the Bala home is dangerous for everyone.
  In Gerritt, Carlos finds the father he lost long ago. Carlos tries to return the treasure without angering his grandfather and losing Gerritt’s love, but realizes how hard it is to tell the truth when you have so much to lose.
  Meanwhile time ticks away as danger comes closer each day.
  Wermuth is out for revenge whatever the costs. In an attempt to divert attention away from the Balas, Gerritt returns to town and catches the train to Buenos Aires. As the the train pulls out of Puerto Madryn station, however, he finds himself in a desperate fight with two German thugs who’ve been hot on his trail. Fighting for his life, Gerritt manages to kill one of the Germans and falls from the train with the other. Gerritt narrowly survives the violent fall, but his German attacker dies of a broken neck. Gerritt now knows he must return to the lighthouse, warn Michael and Susannah, and face Wermuth once and for all.
  In the end the childhood of Carlos Bala will come to an abrupt halt and the lives of those he loves will be forever changed. Fears are faced, secrets are revealed, and long-submerged truth rise from the unpredictable sea.