It’s a Werner Herzog documentary. So you’re sold, right?
Okay, so not everyone’s as gung ho about the raspy filmmaker’s inquisitive wanderings as I am, but putting that man in the director’s chair guarantees a few things about Lo and Behold: unflinchingly prying questions, extensive access to the chosen topic, and some deeply weird moments.
Herzog seems to revile in everything we humans have to offer, which is probably why he’s a filmmaker in the first place and is certainly why his documentaries have such a varied, freewheeling tone. A chuckling question about a squirrel can turn into a man breaking down over the deaths he’s seen in a matter of minutes. People harbor odd associations like that, and Herzog has a way of getting us to reveal them.
In Lo and Behold, Herzog turns his focus to the internet, splitting the film up into ten chapters that explore different facets of the past, present, and future of electronic communication. Some of his subjects are eagerly pushing the technology forward while others are running as far away from it as they can, making it seem like the film will be a collection of loose oddities along the lines of his Encounters at the End of the World. Herzog’s proven in that film and many others that his focus doesn’t have to be sharp to deliver a satisfying portrait, so I expect Lo and Behold will be an intriguing survey on the technology we all use but don’t really understand.
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World is directed by Werner Herzog. It will be released in the U.S. on August 19th, 2016. Further release dates are not currently known.
Are you excited for another Herzog film or is the topic enough to pique your interest? Let us know in the comments!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.