Even Dwarves Started Small

Here's an eccentric, some might say nightmarish, film from director Werner Herzog. He creates a big person's world that seems to be inhabited only by dwarves. The cars, the furniture, the buildings, everything is too big for them -- even the camera is forced to look down on them (literally, not, as far as I can tell, metaphorically). Apparently this is the first film to feature an all dwarf cast since the 1940's Western, The Terror of Tiny Town. I, of course, was reminded of Tod Brownings most unusual horror film, Freaks. The interesting thing, though, is that I was never disturbed by the film (or Brownings film for that matter) or it's cast, because I can't help but notice the uniqueness and beauty of God's creation. There is no story to speak of, a group of dwarves take over an institution, and then the film moves from one seemingly improvised scene to another -- from mock weddings, to monkey crucifixion, and driving trucks in circles. I won't deny that there's some definite strangeness going on, and the last shot reeks of an almost Lynchian nightmare, but what I saw was one of the most unique and beautifully strange films ever made.