Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life

A palpable improvement over last year’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life follows Werner Herzog as he tackles the contentious capital punishment debate by exploring one specific crime in which three people were killed – as the filmmaker interviews every major person involved in the murders, including the young man scheduled to be executed for his part in the deaths. Unlike many of Herzog’s past documentaries, Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life doesn’t contain expectedly idiosyncratic narration from the filmmaker – as Herzog instead employs onscreen titles to fill in any informational gaps. (This is not to say that Herzog’s typically off-kilter sensibilities are completely absent, as the director can be heard asking questions that occasionally border on the absurd.) Herzog’s impressive ability for eliciting painfully honest answers from his subjects ensures that the film is often far more emotional than one might’ve anticipated, as it does become increasingly difficult not to become caught up in the tragedy of this real-life case (eg the sister of one of the victims explains how she lost virtually everyone in her immediate family within a six-year period). There’s little doubt, however, that the movie does contain a handful of tangents that aren’t quite explored to the degree that one might’ve liked, with the most obvious example of this everything revolving around the wife of one of the perpetrators (eg the two met while he was in prison, but Herzog doesn’t really explore what she ultimately hopes to get out of the relationship). Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life is nevertheless a stirring documentary that provides an eye-opening glimpse into a seriously divisive issue.

***1/2 out of ****