Walking to Werner (2005)

Hot Docs film festival has begun in Toronto. Walking to Werner was my first film on Friday night. Director Linas Phillips was on hand to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards. Here is a description of the film from the Hot Docs website:

Werner Herzog has often said that one of the few important things to do in life is to walk on foot. Filmmaker Linas Phillips takes it upon himself to experience a journey on foot from Seattle to Los Angeles, where he hopes to meet with the man who inspired him to make movies himself, Werner Herzog.

Linas meets a lot of strange people on his walk to LA which makes the film interesting and funny. It’s very similar to an Errol Morris type of film with a bizarre cast of characters.

Did I mention that Linas is also a little strange? Twice in the film, he is mistaken for a woman because of his long blond hair. At one point, he freaks out and starts screaming at the transport trucks that blow him off the road. Great stuff.

There are a couple of problems with the editing but I admire Linas Phillips for living out his dream and making his first documentary film—something I still hope to do one day.

Visit Linas Films for more information.

Posted in Movie Reviews at 2:52 PM