Bruno S. – Die Fremde ist der Tod
***/****
directed by Miron Zownir
by Travis Mackenzie Hoover At the Cannes premiere of one of his films, Werner Herzog discovery Bruno S. decided to play his accordion outside the theatre; unfortunately, no one knew how to take this, and the police were called in to arrest him. That pretty much sums up the life of Bruno S., who, after two films with Herzog, faded into obscurity, never to catch the public eye again. But that wasn't the only rejection in his life: Not only was he the victim of neglectful parents, but his diagnosis of insanity when he was very young led to his being experimented on by the Nazis. This, naturally, has embittered Bruno, and in this film he expounds on the nature of his estrangement and rails against the unfairness that separates the haves from the have-nots. The documentary that surrounds him isn't always up to the challenge. It seems a little too Herzogian in its use of Bruno as a found object; one gets the feeling–especially from the intense man who does the interviewing–that it collects him as something like the "outsider art" he produces for a gallery. Nevertheless, it gives full reign to Bruno's dissatisfaction over his isolated life, and offers bitter testimony from someone who has been betrayed by the "normal" members of society. One wonders if the filmmakers are too much a part of that society, but there's no denying that Bruno shines through them and passionately states his case.
