Luke McCarthy’s review published on Letterboxd:
The 'Other' Auteurs - Film #13
(Herzog 4/5)
Herzog's quiet and contemplative exploration of the American Dream is every bit as beautiful, humane and alive as any of the director's other masterworks. Stroszek feels like small collection of beautiful moments, each anchored by wonderful performances and naturalistic characterisation. What Mauch (a regular collaborator) and Herzog do with the cinematography is simply stunning, warm red skies and lush green mountains all radiating with a lush, natural beauty. The film is also shockingly funny at times, constantly contrasting it's bleak tragedy with Herzog's dark and twisted sense of humour. Despite touching on well-worn thematic ground, Herzog is too smart a filmmaker to damn his characters for wishing themselves a better life; instead he empathises with them, creating a film which feels more like a statement about the state of our world than a damnation of it.
Another masterful slice of cinema.