Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer

Germany, UK, 2022, 102'

The man who had a 320-ton steamboat hauled over a hill in Peru, who hypnotizes his actors, who climbs down into volcanoes, discusses with murderers on the death row, cooks and eats his own shoe, and was hit by a bullet. The man who lends his voice to The Simpsons, who acts in TV blockbusters such as The Mandalorian and, in a sort of sacred act, walked from Munich to Paris to prevent the death of his admired mentor, Lotte Eisner: this is Werner Herzog, and so much more. He is also a radical dreamer who would have liked to have wings to fly and transformed cinema into a continuous challenge against the limits of the possible: now, he has devoted himself to instilling the same spirit into young filmmakers, who are invited to follow his popular workshops.

With exclusive access to the life of the film director, who opens up with surprising tenderness, and rare archive footage including in-depth interviews with celebrated collaborators and colleagues – from Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff to Christian Bale and Nicole Kidman – the film unravels the man behind the myth to celebrate his life and work on his recent 80th birthday.