Werner Herzog is a rare filmmaker. Even when you take away the actual content of his films, which also set him apart from many other auteurs, Herzog is also a unique filmmaker in the way that he freely goes from the realms of narrative fiction and documentary depending on the project. If you look at his filmography, the director has almost a 50/50 split between the number of narrative features and documentaries. And for his latest film, “Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin,” the filmmaker not only ventures back into documentary territory but actually turns the camera on himself.
As seen in the first trailer for ‘Nomad,’ Herzog has crafted a film that he admits isn’t about his own life but is clearly deeply personal, as he discusses the life and career of his good friend, Bruce Chatwin. For those unaware, Chatwin was an acclaimed travel writer who sadly passed away in 1989. However, decades later, Herzog still thinks the writer’s work is worth revisiting, as his film uncovers not just the personal journey of Chatwin, often taking him to remote locales for work, but also how the writer is still relevant in a world that has greatly changed in the 30 years since his death.
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“Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin” premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and spent much of 2019 on the festival circuit. The film will arrive in select theaters beginning on April 8.
Here’s the synopsis:
Werner Herzog turns the camera on himself and his decades-long friendship with the late travel writer Bruce Chatwin, a kindred spirit whose quest for ecstatic truth carried him to all corners of the globe. Herzog’s deeply personal portrait of Chatwin, illustrated with archival discoveries, film clips, and a mound of “brontosaurus skin,” encompasses their shared interest in aboriginal cultures, ancient rituals, and the mysteries stitching together life on earth.