★★★☆☆
25 January 2017
A movie review of SALT AND FIRE. |
“We need to man up for the journey ahead,” Dr Fabio Cavani (Gael García Bernal)
It is such a shame that there is a gulf between the documentaries of Werner Herzog and his narrative feature films. He might just be the top documentary director in the world right now. (So the discrepancy is understandable.) However, the intensity and primal grandeur of his non-factual output has dissipated. AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD and FITZCARRALDO stun. SALT AND FIRE is at least an improvement over his dire Nicole Kidman collaboration, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. And, this is a step up from previous Michael Shannon project, MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE.
It is such a shame that there is a gulf between the documentaries of Werner Herzog and his narrative feature films. He might just be the top documentary director in the world right now. (So the discrepancy is understandable.) However, the intensity and primal grandeur of his non-factual output has dissipated. AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD and FITZCARRALDO stun. SALT AND FIRE is at least an improvement over his dire Nicole Kidman collaboration, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. And, this is a step up from previous Michael Shannon project, MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE.
Opening on a woman blindfolded and driven to a compound in the middle of nowhere, where the residents wear balaclavas and carry guns, sinister danger evaporates when we meet leader of the group, Matt Riley (Michael Shannon) – not in ultra baddie mode. An askew atmosphere is offered instead. The surrealness is not of the compelling David Lynch variety. At only 98 minutes, SALT AND FIRE still feels padded.
We rewind briefly, to a business trip on a flight. It pleases me that two Herzog features in a row have female leads. The blindfolded lady is Professor Laura Sommerfeld (Veronica Ferres), head of a United Nations delegation travelling to Bolivia to investigate an ecological disaster. Her two colleagues are Dr Fabio Cavani (Gael García Bernal) and Dr Arnold Meier (Volker Michalowski). Dr Fabio is played for laughs by Bernal, going for pervy academic. Herzog’s dry wit is of course present.
On landing, they are immediately detained by Riley’s group. Their agenda is kept mysterious until the conclusion. It is not particularly worth the wait, though it is not pointless either. Herzog has something to say, but it just feels a bit wishy-washy.
Separated from Fabio and Arnold, Laura is driven miles into the desert salt flats and left by a rock with two young boys who are blind. She must look after herself and them using the rations and equipment given to them. It is a bizarre initiation taking up much of the runtime. Personal and geographical epiphanies are meant to be forced on our protagonist, and arguably the audience. Naturally, in the master’s hands, the vistas wow.
Striking, funny, protracted. Is Werner Herzog interested in making a laugh-less narrative feature any more?
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