Werner Herzog is on an artistic quest for truth: ‘It is almost unreachable’

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It’s a strange situation today: we have access to more information than ever before, yet it’s often hard to agree on what’s actually true. This is partly because traditional news sources are losing influence, and the internet treats all information as equally important. It’s also due to the strong personal beliefs and cultural differences in a world where individual opinions often seem to matter more than established facts. In this environment, “my truth” can sometimes feel more important than what is actually true.

Lately, Werner Herzog has been reflecting on these ideas. The filmmaker views his career – now spanning over seven decades – as a continuous artistic search for what’s real. “Whole communities have built themselves on lies,” Herzog explains in a Zoom interview from his home in Los Angeles. “We’re seeing it in politics too, with fake news and the creation of myths. This isn’t a new phenomenon, of course, but I felt it was the right moment to reflect on my experiences with truth.”

Herzog’s latest book, “The Future of Truth,” explores the current state of affairs where truth seems less important, often called the “post-truth” era. It’s a somewhat rambling book, blending personal stories from Herzog’s life and work with historical examples of how truth and myth have clashed in art. This book is very much in Herzog’s style – unique and occasionally difficult to follow. However, the central idea comes across clearly: While truth is easily changed or lost, it’s something we desperately need, now more than ever.

“I’ve always been driven by a search for truth,” Herzog explains. “It’s nearly impossible to truly grasp. Different philosophers all have their own ideas about what truth actually *is*. There’s something within us as humans – a fundamental need – to seek it out. As a filmmaker and writer, this search has been a constant in my life. However, we shouldn’t forget that we also sometimes *want* to be deceived, to be drawn into something that allows us to suspend our critical thinking.”

Werner Herzog’s films frequently examine where myth and reality meet. For example, his 1972 film “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” follows conquistadors who bravely-and foolishly-search for the legendary El Dorado. This “city of gold” was actually a story created by Spanish colonists in the Americas (you could think of it as 16th-century fake news). Later, in his 2016 documentary “Into the Inferno,” Herzog investigates the folk tales surrounding active volcanoes, and how entire communities have built their cultures around stories of volcanoes as angry gods who demand respect and offerings.

Stories that spark the imagination aren’t just for groups to enjoy; we also use them privately to simplify reality and find some peace of mind. In his book, Herzog recounts a peculiar event that happened while filming Harmony Korine’s 2007 movie, “Mister Lonely,” where Herzog played a missionary called Father Umbrillo. While filming at an airport on Panama’s east coast, Herzog – still in costume – noticed a man on the other side of a tall fence holding a small bunch of flowers.

Entertainment & Arts

Werner Herzog is sitting at a table in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, not far from the place where he famously helped Joaquin Phoenix in the past.

“I found him incredibly captivating, and we started talking,” Herzog explains. “He shared that his wife had left him, taking their children, and he went to the airport daily with flowers, hoping she’d come back. I was still in my priest outfit when he asked me to hear his confession. I told him I was an actor in a movie, but he didn’t seem to mind. He went ahead and confessed anyway. He desired a setting that felt unreal. It was a very peculiar, yet moving, experience.”

In public discourse, we often encounter many different, yet similar, representations of what’s presented as truth – stories that offer a release of emotional tension. Herzog points to professional wrestling as a prime example of a performance where both the audience and the wrestlers knowingly participate in a fictional narrative that mimics real competition. He explains, “Everyone knows it’s made up, yet they collectively participate because it gives space for collective emotions to be expressed.” He terms this an “axiom of emotions,” stating, “No matter how artificial something might be, the emotions are always true.”

Herzog refers to this immersive experience as “ecstatic truth,” describing it as a mutual understanding between the person sharing information and the one receiving it. However, he’s cautious about how the media presents what it *claims* is truth – particularly today, with the internet being the main source of news and the line between fact and fiction becoming blurred. Herzog argues that the propaganda used by the former Soviet Union isn’t fundamentally different from how both liberal democracies now deliver and interpret the news.

Movies

Known as a “soldier of cinema“, Werner Herzog has been creating documentaries for just as long as he’s been directing fictional films.

“I have a good understanding of what life was like in the Soviet Union, as my wife is from Siberia,” explains Herzog. “People in the former Soviet Union were generally aware that the information they received wasn’t truthful. We don’t tend to question things as thoroughly here. I truly believe the media often builds a skewed picture of events – not necessarily with direct falsehoods, but by leaving out important details.”

Considering Werner Herzog’s typically critical view of the news media, it’s unexpected to see him taking a cautiously observant stance toward the growing influence of artificial intelligence. In his book, he recounts how three writers asked him to narrate an audiobook of poems generated by ChatGPT. Herzog was impressed by the poems’ quality, describing them as “better than almost anything I’ve read in terms of poetry in the last 20 or 30 years.”

He believes it’s a mistake to view AI with either hope or fear. While acknowledging the risks – pointing out that AI is already being used in warfare – he also highlights its potential benefits, such as revolutionizing fields like pharmaceuticals and human health. He frames the real question as, ‘How much control are we prepared to give to AI? Do we want it to even shape our aspirations?’ He personally answers with a firm no, explaining that as a storyteller and filmmaker, he’s confident AI will never create anything as compelling as his work.

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2025-09-30 13:31