About

Based (loosely, as with all of Herzog's historical works) on the true story of Kaspar Hauser – a young German man who, in the early 19th Century, mysteriously emerged onto the streets of Nuremberg after being kept captive in a house throughout the entirety of his youth. Upon his arrival, he is taken into a circus to be gawked at, before a Professor offers to educate and raise the man – which leads to unwanted attention from the local aristocracy. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is a lyrical, moving portrait of an unknowable man and the inscrutability of his life. He is portrayed in an astonishing performance by the outsider artist/musician Bruno S., who perfectly renders the mystery at the heart of the story. Bruno himself had spent much of his early life institutionalised – in both hospitals and prisons - and his familiarity with the pain of being existentially restrained emerges in his deeply empathetic portrayal. It is one of the great director's finest achievements – a testament to both his singular artistic vision and his deep understanding of humanity.