Incident At Loch Ness Movie Review:


You can see why Werner Herzog, the man who directed “Fitzcarraldo” and “Aguirre: The Wrath of God,” would be attracted to the idea of making a
documentary about the Loch Ness monster. His films are full of grand, obsessive ideas and dreams. The documentary he wanted to make was called
“Enigma of Loch Ness.” Of course, things went badly for that production, it being Herzog, who was hardly famous for easy movie shoots.

And you can see why a young director interested in his movies, like Zak Penn, would want to document the making of Herzog’s documentary. A chance
to see the genius at work, and get a documentary of his own out of it. This film exists as (like “Lost in La Mancha” did about Terry Gilliam’s doomed
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”) the document of a movie that could never get made.

Oh, and it’s made up. Herzog never made that Nessie documentary. Therefore, this film is actually a mockumentary of the making of a documentary, starring Werner Herzog as himself, and Zak Penn as the producer of Herzog’s documentary.

This is the kind of ingenuity concerning the difference between fact and fiction that we last saw in “Adaptation.” There gets to a point where you
stop thinking about it and just give in to the film’s creativity and fun. Early on, when Herzog is interviewed, he says that he is most interested in
the difference between fact and truth, and mentions how cinema has what he calls an ‘ecstatic truth.’ So, while this film is fictitious, that doesn’t
mean it is without truth.

This mockumentary, as they are commonly known as now, is the most clever, original and downright hilarious one since “This is Spinal Tap.” That is
saying a lot. There are moments in the film where I laughed so hard, I embarrassed myself. The reason it works so well is because we sort of accept it as being truly a documentary, and never think about the fact that it was planned (although I do not know how much). We get genuinely caught up in this movie-within-the-movie. I never got all cynical and thought that it was trying to be too clever. I was too busy laughing.

The characters transcend stereotypes and become unique and unforgettable. Zak Penn’s producer of the Nessie doc. (they all keep their own names, thus, in a way, playing themselves) wants the documentary (the one ABOUT the Nessie doc.) to stop being shot, when he realises he comes off as looking bad. There is a small hint of David Brent in there. He and Herzog start fighting. A gun is, at one point, involved, in reference to the false (according to Herzog) rumour that Herzog once directed Klaus Kinski at gunpoint. A so-called ‘crypto-zoologist’ is brought in to help give advise about the monster. The scene where he explains how he refuses to use detergents in his washing is priceless. The producer hires a (female) marine biologist who is suspiciously good looking, and turns out to be, in
actual fact, a model. Anyone who has ever watched a documentary about a troubled movie (“Heart of Darkness,” about “Apocalypse Now,” and “Burden of Dreams,” about, funnily enough, Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo”) will see that this movie pushes that idea as far as it will go, and adds its own unique twist.

The film is also about the mystery of the Loch Ness monster, and our desire to believe in legends and myths (at one point the crypto-zoologist says,
‘people ask me where the evidence is that there is a Loch Ness Monster… well, where’s the evidence that there ISN’T?’). This whole idea is played
upon by the last act of the movie, where it takes unexpected turns and becomes both thrilling and funny. This is a movie with no shortage of
ideas.

I absolutely loved this film. I saw it right after “Anatomy of Hell,” the depressing, sexually explicit French film. “Anatomy…” made me feel numb and
kind of disgusted, and made me want to sigh for civilisation. After “Incident at Loch Ness,” I found myself smiling for the rest of the day. It is full of wonderful moments. You do not have to be aware of Herzog’s work, as I am, or have seen ocumentaries about disastrous film shootings, as I have, or be Scottish, as I am. Those perhaps increased my adoration, but the humour and originality in the movie can be loved by anyone. Herzog fans
will love the in-jokes; I particularly liked the subtle moment when Herzog, as he gets onto the boat for another day’s shooting, complains to the producer that this is the most chaotic shoot he has ever had, and the producer mumbles mockingly, ‘at least we aren’t pulling the boat over a hill.’

“Spinal Tap” may have influenced this movie, but it does the whole mockumentary thing in a new way, which is both stunningly original, and hilarious. I have no idea how this film will be advertised when it comes to cinemas. The ads will not do it justice. This is a movie about itself, movies, documentaries, Herzog, Nessie, arrogance, creativity, genius and
obsession. Not once does it feel like it is trying too hard.

***** (out of 5)

Adam Whyte

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