Remember when you watched American Beauty and thought that Wes Bentley’s loner misfit and his filmed encomium to a floating plastic bag were impossibly lame? Well, it turns out that all it needed was a little Werner Herzog. The video was put up on YouTube two weeks ago, but this short film from Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo) featuring the mad/brilliant German director as the voice of a fluttering bag who sets off to find itself is just too good to miss. There’s just something about Herzog’s ruminating, Teutonic inflections that make everything that much more awesome, in both senses of the word. But what more can you expect from a man who has been shot during an interview, pulled Joaquin Phoenix from a burning car, and hates the French language so much that he almost refused to use it to save his own life. Watch the ecstatically truthful short yourself below:
What do you think? Don’t you want a Werner Herzog setting on your alarm clock so you can wake up to his voice intoning “Wake up! A day ripe with promise stretches out before you, even if you cannot fathom the immensity of your own existence.”
I love Werner Herzog! Thanks for sharing this film. Can’t wait to watch the whole thing.
I remember watching American Beauty and thinking Wes Bentley’s loner misfit and floating bag film were incredibly moving. But hey, I don’t write for a magazine that worships Twilight.
I’m not quite sure the “EW is Twilight-obsessed and blind to quality cinema” angle works on a post dedicated Werner Herzog.
It means their taste of what’s considered lame vs. intriguing is suspect. I suppose Wes Bentley should have flexed his biceps.
Do you prefer American Beauty over the work of Werner Herzog?
I am really not that familiar with German cinema.
Well, I hate to one-up you on your snobbery, but I think that means your taste is suspect.
Maybe Thora Birch should’ve bitten her lip as Wes Bentley said “YOU…are my life now.”
Werner Herzog has made some good films- Grizzly Man, the new Bad Lieutenant (not as good as the Harvey Keitel one, but still very good).
I think bringing up twilight in this post is silly. I also think that the supposed EW Twilight lovefest is exaggerated. Twilight happens to be huge and they give it a lot of coverage (I am not a Twilight fan before anyone jumps to conclusions.) It’s also silly to say that if you aren’t familiar with werner herzog’s films than your taste is suspect.
Chill.
Sorry, I meant that tongue-in-cheek. I just wanted to point out that if you want to be snobby by lauding American Beauty at the expense of Twilight, someone can (and might) always one-up and make you into the uncultured one in the conversation.
Had I not seen American Beauty after Not Another Teen Movie (please don’t judge me) I probably would’ve found the floating plastic bag to be beautiful and moving like the rest of the film.
I haven’t seen that. Do they spoof the bag scene?
Yeah, they have a character who wears the exact same hat Wes Bentley did videotaping a plastic bag with “The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Ever Seen” on it.
I’ll have to check that out! I love the movie and the bag scene, but I can admit it’s worthy of satire.
Yeah, I just posted about how the bag scene in “AB” floored me, but I can DEFINITELY appreciate the way “Not Another Teen Movie” took the pi$$ out of it. Funny stuff.
(Ok, now I’m off to watch “Lost”!)
I remember watching the plastic bag scene in theatres by myself (because I couldn’t get anybody to see “American Beauty” with me back then) and being floored by that scene. I know it’s fun to retroactively bash “Best Picture” winners (and some of them deserve it), but I love me some “American Beauty.”
(However, you’re on your own on “Matrix Revolutions” crispy – and I don’t hate it because it’s fashionable, I just didn’t think it was any good. I’m actually the least fashionable person you’re likely to meet.)
LOL. I don’t want to hijack another thread… but maybe one day I’ll buy you a drink and convince you that greatness can be found in Matrix 2 and 3! Come on, I bet you at least appreciate Monica Belluci?
That’ll probably take a LOT of drinks, but if you’re buyin’, I’m listening.
…and, yeah, a litlte Bellucci is never a bad thing. (Though, I’d actually argue there was too little Bellucci in those sequels.)
Love Herzog, loved Goodbye Solo (still pissed it wasn’t nominated for any Oscars), loved American Beauty. So yeah, this looks great.
I think Family Guy made fun of that scene best when Peter gets distracted by the trash blowing in the wind, and it cuts to God saying “It’s just some trash blowing in the wind! Do you have any idea how complicated your circulatory system is?!”
That. Is. Perfect!
I saw ‘American Beauty’ and even watched a bit of the video above, and still fail to see the beauty of a damn plastic bag.
It is impossible to resist Werner Herzog. I want him to narrate my life.
Just watched it. Wow! What a great last line. Also really liked the music.
This was fantastic, very touching and Herzog was great. Ending was perfect.
HI，My friend recommended me a very good community
____ www-BlackWhiteDate-com______
People from all over the world gather together.
Go to have a try, you may find your love or friendship there.
I found this short to be captivating and thought provoking. I can understand the surface comparisons to American Beauty, but this video doesn’t find beauty in a plastic bag…it shows you how utterly indestructible those things are. This was really well put together; the music, narration, cinematography…everything.
I love how it’s become so trendy for the writers on this site to bash American Beauty. Give it a rest already. I’m sure EW spent plenty of ink in 1998 lauding how great it was. Revisionist bs.
Best article title ever.