linas philips is probably not a person i'd like to spend more than an hour and a half with. as the director behind this film, as well as the main character, filming himself from arm's length as he walks down the side of the road, he comes across as a dual presence: as a timid hippie type on camera, who often gets mistaken for a girl by those around him, who shies away from a fight as soon as the prospect of one arises ("i totally respect you, dude") and can't even bring himself to free a trapped goat on his own; and as a somewhat megalomaniacal helmer, who conceives of this grand stunt as a way to imitate his hero and therefore gain validation and self worth. this latter side of his comes through when one day, his plan hits some kind of snag; his vitriolic outburst (directed at the camera) about his unseen collaborator reveals he's not just flowers and bunnies after all.
this film does end up fascinating in parts, not because but in spite of philips' presence. any film which spends a few months travelling America's roads is sure to come up with some fascinating characters - even if philips intercuts some of the most poignant stories with each other, which i found to be insulting to the speakers. ("let's mix up the recovering-murderer footage with the child-abuse-victim footage! there won't be a dry eye in the house!")
philips seems to be seeking validation at every turn, and some of his interviewees appear to be in the film for no purpose other than to praise him on camera.
i felt sorry for poor werner herzog, dragged like this into participating in a film he had no part in creating. his recorded message at the end, proclaiming philips' pilgrimage as some grand achievement, sounds like it was written by philips and read by herzog under duress.
probably worth watching - just not for the reasons the director/writer/editor/star intended.
this film does end up fascinating in parts, not because but in spite of philips' presence. any film which spends a few months travelling America's roads is sure to come up with some fascinating characters - even if philips intercuts some of the most poignant stories with each other, which i found to be insulting to the speakers. ("let's mix up the recovering-murderer footage with the child-abuse-victim footage! there won't be a dry eye in the house!")
philips seems to be seeking validation at every turn, and some of his interviewees appear to be in the film for no purpose other than to praise him on camera.
i felt sorry for poor werner herzog, dragged like this into participating in a film he had no part in creating. his recorded message at the end, proclaiming philips' pilgrimage as some grand achievement, sounds like it was written by philips and read by herzog under duress.
probably worth watching - just not for the reasons the director/writer/editor/star intended.
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