Watch an Exclusive Clip from Werner Herzog’s Salt and Fire

March 31, 2017

German new wave pioneer Werner Herzog’s new subversive thriller Salt and Fire opens in theaters on April 7th

74-year-old German filmmaker and cult icon Werner Herzog’s (Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht) latest film, the surreal thriller Salt and Fire is set for release on VOD and iTunes on April 4th and will hit U.S. theaters on April 7th via XLrator Media. The haunting, bizarre and challenging (and often rather funny) film stars Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire and Herzog’s eerie David Lynch collaboration My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done), Veronica Ferres (Hector and the Search for Happiness), and Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle).

Written and directed by Werner Herzog inspired by a story by Tom Bissell, Salt and Fire tells the story of a corporate CEO and a group of scientists who must band together despite their ideological differences to try to avoid a looming environmental catastrophe. The film was shot in Bolivia at the stunning Uyuni salt flats (the world’s largest) and Germany. The film was produced by Nina Maag, Werner Herzog, Michael Benaroya and Pablo Cruz.

There’s no one else like Herzog. Doubtful there ever will be again. The filmmaker is known for both his bold narratives (Aguirre: Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo) and meditative, cinematic documentaries (Encounters at the End of the World, Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams). But he’s also an actor (Jack Reacher, the horror comedy Freaks of Nature) and a staple of oddball culture (listening to him read the story “Go the F*** to Sleep” is the stuff of legend). Herzog’s work celebrates the natural world and examines the plights of the often dangerous humans who dare to try to tame it. His movies are personal and yet epic, melancholy and yet absurdly funny, dark and psychological and yet almost child-like in their curiosity. These dichotomous sensibilities are what make his movies so beloved and divisive and are what make his award-winning documentaries so unique and fascinating.

Salt and Fire is no exception. Check out the exclusive clip from the film below and tell us what you think.