A group of tormented patients stage a coup at an oppressive, dismal asylum after they're not allowed out on an excursion.
Direction
Herzog's hypnotic, unflinching gaze at human chaos
Cinematography
Bleach-white volcanic landscapes that swallow the characters
Practical Effects
Real cockroach crucifixion—Herzog wasn't joking
Director
Werner Herzog
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Herzog promised the cast he'd jump into a cactus patch if they finished filming—they made him do it. He still has scars.
Herzog claimed this wasn't about little people specifically, but about 'the dwarfs inside all of us'—the parts of humanity that want to burn everything down when denied agency.
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