Werner Herzog's INTO THE ABYSS opens December 2, 2011 at Regal Winter Park. Herzog's fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, sheds new light on the issues regarding death penalty that have not yet been seen.
In the film, Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Grizzly Man) probes the human psyche to explore why people kill—and why a state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (scheduled to die within eight days of appearing on-screen), Herzog achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” Herzog’s inquiries also extend to the families of the victims and perpetrators as well as a state executioner and pastor who’ve been with death row prisoners as they’ve taken their final breaths. As he’s so often done before, Herzog’s investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.
What press are saying:
"Extraordinary. A somber inquiry into familiar Herzogian themes of death, violence and time."
- A.O. Scott, The New York Times
"One of the most profound statements I can imagine about the death penalty...In this film Herzog simply looks. He always seems to know where to look."
- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times
"Herzog's most profound meditation on death and life in years...Makes a more convincing argument against the death penalty that anything I've ever seen."
- Anthony Kaufman, indieWIRE
"Herzog's film elevates the act of witnessing."
- Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York