2019 Movie
Dir. Werner Herzog · United Kingdom · English, German
A travelogue through various uncanny mysteries, and a love letter to a dearly departed friend
The sooner you adjust your expectations for Nomad—and realize that this isn’t a travel documentary but Werner Herzog’s own wonderfully offbeat way of remembering his dear friend—the better. Any uneven moments in this film’s construction are smoothed over by the sheer authenticity of what Herzog puts on screen, from his own distinctive narration, to gorgeous excerpts from Bruce Chatwin’s writings, to the sounds and images that make up the strange worlds that both men were fascinated in. No mysteries are solved here, but just being closer to the strange and surreal becomes a way for Herzog to come to terms with the strangest and most surreal of life’s realities: death.
When Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, his friend Werner Herzog made a final visit. As a parting gift, Chatwin gave him his rucksack. Thirty years later, Herzog sets out on his own journey, inspired by Chatwin’s passion for the nomadic life, uncovering stories of lost tribes, wanderers and dreamers.
"Even if [Herzog] one day set out to make an overt cinematic self-portrait of his life and work, it is hard to believe that it could be as penetrating and insightful as this film."
— Peter Sobczynski
"Duplicating many of Chatwin's most notable journeys, Herzog evokes the late English wanderer's restless soul and curious fascination with profound issues that have long captivated the director."
— Nick Schager
Filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to various strange places around the world that his late friend, the travel writer Bruce Chatwin, once documented.
Though arguably more known for his eccentricity, Herzog reminds us that he has space in his heart (and his filmmaking) for more tender and sentimental gestures—and that shouldn't cheapen his films in the eyes of those who admire his artistry. Herzog's final conversations with Chatwin's prose are about as sweet and heartfelt as any eulogy to a close friend. And through this unexpectedly graceful send-off, even the creepiest images we see throughout the rest of the film take on a newfound sense of wonder. If the unfamiliar and the unexplained don't scare us, neither should the void that lies beyond this life.
I for one think there's no sweeter show of affection than revisiting the creepy folk civilization we once talked about together.
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
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