Land of Silence and Darkness

Filmmakers tend to use representations of disability to their own ends, and Herzog is no different; he approaches the experience of being deaf and blind as part of his poetic quest into the extraordinary. And yet, if this is a film filled with awe, it is also made with a great deal of respect. The results of Herzog’s documentary on the world of those who are both deaf and blind completely defeat one’s expectations, for the film is neither morbidly depressing nor heartwarmingly uplifting. As Anitra Earle wrote, “It is, rather, a testament from another plane of existence.”