After his 3D hit Cave of Forgotten Dreams this year, Werner Herzog is tackling the subject of death with his latest documentary Into The Abyss. Intending to “look into the deepest recesses of the human soul,” I thought it delivered on its promises when I saw it at Toronto this fall.
His exploration of humanity itself is easily one of the best documentaries of the year. It plays part murder mystery and part reflection on capital punishment. This first trailer via Apple brings up the heated issue a bit more heavily than it is actually explored in the film, but it is a worthy glimpse at what to expect. Check it out below.
Synopsis:
Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog (CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, GRIZZLY MAN) returns with INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE, a riveting examination of a horrible crime which probes the human psyche to explore why people kill–and why the state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (who was scheduled to die eight days after his interview with Herzog), the filmmaker achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” As he’s so often done before, Herzog’s investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.
Into the Abyss hits theaters and VOD on November 11th, 2011.