Fata Morgana (2 Stars)

I give up. I don't understand this film at all. Visually it has astounding beauty. The splendour of the Saharan desert is contrasted with the squalor of its inhabitants, while a woman reads the Mayan story of creation. The DVD contains a commentary by the director, Werner Herzog, but I don't have the patience to listen to it. Instead let me quote a review from a fellow blogger:

"Fata Morgana is an absolute masterpiece. It's Werner Herzog's most unconventional film. It doesn't have a plot or story. Instead of a story, we're given a collection of images, words and music that work so wonderfully together. It's not a documentary either. Some of the people in this film are directed and given lines to read. It has some of the most beautiful and haunting images. Herzog shoots real mirages and we see cars and people floating around in the middle of the desert who aren't actually there but hundreds of miles away reflected like in a mirror. The use of music in this movie is so brilliant - from Leonard Cohen, Mozart, and the Third Ear Band. Imagine Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey in the desert; that's what this movie is like. This film is so hypnotic that it has the ability to make you feel as though your spirit has left your body. A must see. It will change the way you view films. Rating: 10 out of 10."

Wow! He's obviously a dedicated Werner Herzog fan. Read the rest of his reviews at Werner Herzog Movies.