Werner Herzog
1987
111 minutes
This is another Kinski-Herzog joint. But you're not going to remember much of the Kinski, strangely enough. This one is more about the angry army of Amazon women at the end, which is a fantastic payoff.
Most of this movie you're going to watch on the run on a cold day in your city between bus rides and on walks between bus stops. You're off to run some errands. You're going to get beard cream from Lush. You're going to get some Mexican groceries from the local Mexi-mart, Cinco de Mayo. You're going to stock up on tortillas and hot sauce and crema and house made salsa and mole and even grab a small chicharrone to snack on while you wait for the buses back to your neighborhood.It will be a slightly chilly day but not so cold that you can't feel your face. Your wool coat will keep out the worst of it. You'll consider stopping at Marshall's to pick up a cheap pack of boxer briefs, but then think better of it. This day will be a Tuesday, and you'll have nothing particular to do but go home and snack on some chips and salsa afterwards before grabbing a pint at happy hour.
This film will keep you blissfully entertained and patient while you wait on the next bus. You'll be more eager to finish off another Herzog film than you are annoyed about whether the app on your phone is accurately displaying when your bus is coming. Your bag won't be troublingly heavy. Your interactions with street people won't be upsetting. It will be a golden day in Baltimore, but you'll still feel a dull ache for being in a city and time and mindspace that you were better able to enjoy. As delightful as the day is and even with the regular menaces cleared from your path, your heart aches for Paris or New York from the previous decade or even Baltimore from the previous decade, warts and all.
The sun still shines cold on your face and you have to cover your screen with your hands to be able to read the captions. But this is as bad as things will get for you today objectively, at least. And as you know there are much worse things than saudade.
Time to choose something different: