Plot summary

Filmmaker Werner Herzog and his three-person camera crew are given access to Chauvet Cave in southern France, discovered in 1994 and named after one from among the three-person discovery team, Jean-Marie Chauvet. Beyond the natural beauty of the cave itself, it is renowned for its pristine cave paintings, the oldest known in the world dated at up to 32,000 years old. The paintings are in pristine condition as 20,000 years ago, a rock slide covered up the original entrance to the cave, protecting the interior, including the paintings, from many external natural elements. Because there is limited and restricted access to the cave to retain the pristine nature of the findings, Herzog and his team must do double duty assisting the scientific team they are accompanying with their work in the process. Herzog and his team also speak to many of the other scientists doing research on the wide array of topics concerning this fascinating find.—Huggo