Here Is Always Somewhere Else is an intriguing and deeply thought-provoking documentary from 2007. Directed by Dutch filmmaker Rene Daalder, the film offers an in-depth exploration of the fascinating life and enigmatic disappearance of Dutch/Californian artist Bas Jan Ader. It's a compelling glimpse not just at Ader's life and work, but also at the broader art world of the 1970s - an era marked by experimentation, counterculture movements, and a sense of unlimited possibilities.

The film's title, taken from one of Ader's works, encapsulates the essence of the artist's work and, in many ways, his life. Ader's work often dealt with themes of existentialism, alienation, and the tragicomic nature of human existence, and these themes are richly explored throughout the film. What Daalder creates is less a conventional biography and more a vivid tapestry composed of different perspectives and interpretations, each offering a unique insight into understanding Ader's world.

Bas Jan Ader, a creative force whose career was cut tragically short, is a figure shrouded in mystery. Born in the Netherlands in 1942, Ader grew to be a central figure in the Los Angeles art scene of the 1960s and 1970s. His work, often characterized by simplicity and vulnerability, straddles a range of disciplines including photography, film, and performance art. Despite his career spanning just eight years - from 1965 until his disappearance at sea in 1975 - Ader left an indelible imprint on the art world. His most famous work, entitled 'In Search of the Miraculous', secured his legacy before he mysteriously vanished during a solo transatlantic journey.

Here Is Always Somewhere Else combines archival footage and interviews with artists, critics, friends, and family to paint a multifaceted portrait of Ader. His wife, Mary Sue Ader-Andersen, emerges as a powerful presence, putting forth thought-provoking reflections on her husband's life, work, and disappearance. The film also includes many of Ader's dramatic performance works, letting the artist's mind-bending creativity and keen sense of the absurd shine through. In one emblematic piece, Ader is seen falling off a roof, exhibiting both the artist's physical vulnerability and his exploration of gravity, performance, and risk in a single moment captured on film.

The film also explores Ader's complex relationship with his father, a Dutch Reformed Church minister who was executed by the Nazis during World War II for harboring Jewish refugees. This relationship, imbued with a weighty emotional complexity, seeps into Ader's work and personal life, presenting an additional layer of tragedy and heartbreak.

As much as Here Is Always Somewhere Else is about Bas Jan Ader, it is also a meditation on art itself: the forces that shape it, the boundaries it can push, and the ways it reflects and refracts the society it springs from. It delves into the overlapping realms of the conceptual art movement, the counterculture of the 70s, and the tragic figure of Ader, uniting them in a chronicle that invites viewers to consider art's place in the broader cultural and historical landscape.

While the film offers no definitive answers about Ader's disappearance, it incites a deeper appreciation of his work's profound and enduring impact on contemporary art. Through its exploration of Ader's life and artistry, the documentary becomes a poignant reflection on the ephemeral nature of life and the enduring power of art, offering compelling questions about performance, vulnerability, and the elusive search for the 'miraculous' in the mundane world. Here Is Always Somewhere Else remains a much-needed dive into the enigma of Bas Jan Ader and a transformative journey for anyone interested in modern art, life, and the mysteries that endure even in the face of disappearance.