Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)

I also remember this film as life-changing. I saw it at the TIFF many years ago and was baffled by it. There is a small scene in an elevator that I remember as a transcendent cinematic moment. Like so many of Herzog's films, it is deeply moving for reasons that aren't easy to put your finger on - often with Herzog it's an odd juxtaposition, an awkward silence, a strange edit, an inappropriate flash of humour or horror that produce a flash of insight. This film, at the time, seemed conventional by Herzog's standards, but I still left the theatre feeling slightly drugged, always a good sign.

Some idiot claims that this movie is horrible but I would argue that this he/she is mistaken. None of the dialog is improvised though the performances are raw which the previous reviewer might be confusing with improvisation. Most fans of Herzog are also aware that Herzog's dialog is highly stylized and often surreal which may, to close minded people, be misconstrued as trite or childish. Perhaps it is something one has to get used to or maybe Herzog films are best left to those who are willing to view something out of the ordinary. Of course, not everyone will like everything, but opinions that are expressed should only come from people who are informed as an uninformed opinion is like showing a dog a card trick.

I hadn't thought that Herzog was capable of making a good film without Kinski, only some pretentious artsy thing like Heart of Glass.Well, Green Ants proves me wrong. This is a great film that shows the conflict between white and aboriginal civilizations without being sentimental or condescending to either side. With Hollywood we'd some cliché about noble savages and suchlike, but here you get the feeling of dealing with real human beings.Oh yeah, the plot deals with an Australian mining company that wants to blow up a sacred site to do mineral exploitation. Herzog avoids stereotyped poses to bring out the situation as it would occur in real life. Plus you get some great shots of the outback.I plan to lend this one to all my aboriginal friends!

I probably saw this film back in in 1984 and it still sticks to my memory. I honestly don't know if that's good or bad. What i do know is that a film still with me after almost 20 years deserve a comment. When I went out of the theater i thought to my self that this must be the worst film ever. But as time has gone by, and the film still stick I'm no longer so sure. The film was first of all my first encounter with aborigines, and it made me feel sad on their behalf. Second of all, the opening scene with native music and majestic nature, is one of the best ever made. This is not a 10, to the ordinary viewer but to me it gets close.