MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE (2009) proves that two head cases are better than one

Posted by Stephen Jannise

Be still my beating heart, two Werner Herzog movies in a single year! I told Daniel, who wrote his review of this film several weeks ago, that I could imagine the scenario of how this film’s production was set into motion: David Lynch, after deciding to assign the role of director to someone else for this project, saw an early print of Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and proclaimed, “This motherfucker’s as crazy as me!” And thus cinema history was made.

This partnership proves to be an artistic success. Herzog’s influence can be seen throughout the film. Visually, some of his trademarks surface to great effect. A camera orbits Michael Shannon’s lead madman in the mountains of Peru as he begins his descent into madness, a shot reminiscent of the breathtaking climax to Herzog’s masterpiece, Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes. Indeed, Herzog revels in these scenes where nature’s influence is most keenly felt, tracking down a raging river, reminding us of the uncontrollable chaos of the natural world, of which we are a part.

Meanwhile, in the present day segments, in which Willem Dafoe’s detective is dealing with the aftermath of Shannon’s decision to stab his own mother to death, Lynch’s particular way with suburban distress comes to the forefront. Shannon’s overbearing mother, played with the usual genius by Grace Zabriskie, seems to have vomited her tacky decorative taste all over their home; with so much pink and so many flamingo knick-knacks, you will almost surely think about John Waters once or twice. In such an oppressive setting, it seems unsurprising that a grown man might go crazy. As Daniel has already mentioned, the still-life portrait of Shannon, Zabriskie, and his girlfriend Chloe Sevigny serves to freeze a moment in their lives, point at Shannon’s growing distress, and ask, “Why did no one see what was going on with this man?”

I think this guy might be going crazy.

These two sensibilities, Herzog’s interest in the wilderness and Lynch’s recognition of the madness that stews in the privacy of our homes, combine when Shannon visits his Uncle Ted’s farm. Ted, played with subtle menace by Brad Dourif, relates the story of the chicken who went crazy, kicking giant holes in a plastic garbage can, and ultimately had to be shot for the safety of everyone at the farm. Soon after this story, Dourif reminds Shannon of his entertainment idea that involves little people riding farm animals. Then, one of these little people wanders, like a hallucination, out of the forest and joins Shannon and Dourif in staring at the camera as another frozen portrait is created. I think Uncle Ted might be as crazy as that chicken.

Here, it’s almost as if Herzog and Lynch engage in a dialogue. With the chicken story, Herzog reminds us how swiftly we take action when our farm animals revolt, when wild beasts raid tribal villages, when our beloved dogs turn rabid. Why then, he seems to ask Lynch, do we neglect to acknowledge those moments when our fellow humans begin to exhibit signs of madness? The two of them seem to believe that the answer lies in our species’ go-to escape plan: religion. Because Shannon couches his insanity in a sort of pseudo-religious philosophy, his mother, girlfriend, and other acquaintances simply shrug their shoulders, as if they believe he’s merely going through a phase that will pass.

Herzog has essentially walked into one of Lynch’s mad-houses and emerged feeling concerned with how far adrift our civilization and all its trappings have taken us from the cold, yes, but ultimately unavoidable logic of nature. This is a topic that you will likely not see discussed in any other film, a topic of challenging ideas that necessarily results in a challenging film. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to engage with these ideas and enjoy a beautiful, unique film from two of our most consistently inspiring filmmakers. The Alamo Ritz will begin screening the film on Friday, January 29. It’s a journey worth taking.