Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life (2011)

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972663/

For anyone that enjoyed Herzog’s last documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the title of his latest venture will come as no surprise. Abyss is a word Herzog relishes in using and it is a good word to associate with his plethora of work which habitually explores the mysterious abyss, both physical and metaphorical. Into the Abyss is part of Herzog’s Death Row project and focuses on Michael Perry who, at the time of filming, is to be executed in eight days’ time for the murder of three people. The other perpetrator of the heinous crime is Jason Burkett who is 10 years into a 40 year sentence. The two young men were trying to steal a sports car when the owner Sandra Stotler and her son, Adam, and his friend, Jeremy Richardson, got in the way and were brutally killed, their bodies left in easy to find places, the crime and the execution all taking place in Texas, USA.
Herzog starts from the beginning, using archival police footage he shows the crime scene in graphic detail, lingering on the blood stains and even the partially depicted body of one of the victims. It is shocking and deeply disturbing footage. A local lieutenant informs us of what happened and how the culprits were apprehended and then we meet the criminals in their prison environment that they now exist in. Herzog interviews the family of the victims and also family of the criminals as well as people who assist in the protocol for the execution.
The subject matter is fascinating but as with all Herzog films it is the characters we meet along the way that make the film truly memorable as well as the unique interview style that Herzog has. At the beginning of the film Herzog speaks to the prison chaplain about God and criminals, the chaplain passionately begins to describe the beautiful creatures that God has created, to which Herzog requests “please describe an encounter with a squirrel” to which the chaplain obliges. It is hilarious and Herzog’s questions are honest and brilliant. Upon first meeting Michael Perry Herzog states “destiny has dealt you a bad deck of cards, which doesn’t exonerate you and which does not mean I have to like you”.
While it may not have the explicitly surreal imagery of reptiles that his recent endeavours have featured, Herzog succeeds in teasing out anecdotes about monkey attacks and alligators in the Everglades. He meets some fascinating people with strange stories to tell. The daughter of the victim Sandra speaks of how in six years she lost nearly all her family to strange accidents, diseases and of course murder, certainly one unlucky lady. A man who came into contact with Jason Burkett on several occasions tells Herzog how he was stabbed with a 14 inch Philips screwdriver and didn’t even go to hospital as he had to be at work in 30 minutes. Herzog allows these characters time to tell their stories and this adds another dimension to an already fascinating documentary.
The filmmaker is allowed into the death house to film the cell and the room where the execution takes place and his camera lingers on the gurney and the straps where the criminal is placed before being injected. This footage is truly chilling and the empty room says so much, it is powerful stuff. Herzog also meets a guy who used to work in the death house before having a breakdown after unstrapping his 125^th prisoner from the gurney, who was also a woman, Carla Faye Tucker. He speaks of dealing with last requests and also his changing attitude towards the death sentence.
The film cleverly gives an impartial view towards the issue of death row, showing the perspective of the family of the victims and the closure she received from seeing Michael Perry executed, but also shows many other perspectives. Perry comes across as a remorseful guy who you actually end up feeling sorry for, especially when you realise that Burkett did not receive the death penalty as his convicted felon father pleaded clemency. This for me highlighted some of the injustices and flaws in the US system especially as Burkett is now married with a child on the way while Perry has been given the lethal dose.
Into the Abyss is much more subtly surreal than some of Herzog’s other films but due to the subject matter this is fitting. For such a provocative subject matter Herzog deals with it tastefully and impartially, allowing the audience to make up its own mind but adding his own personality occasionally. I do wish there had been a little more focus on the two criminals and perhaps more of an exploration into what they did and why they did it and also how they feel about it today but I can see why this was not really explored. As the title suggests this film is about death but it is also very much about life and the choices we make. Herzog shows us a society that is full of different forms of violence and questions how acceptable these different forms are and how human beings become involved in these. This is another fascinating documentary from one of the best documentary filmmakers producing films today.