Synopsis:
When an Australian mining company tries to conduct geological tests on sacred land, Aborigines stage a protest, and their struggle soon goes to court.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Australian Films
• Mining Towns
• Native Peoples
• Race Relations and Racism
• Werner Herzog Films

Review:
Iconoclastic German director Werner Herzog remains somewhat unique in his lifelong commitment to making both narrative and documentary films — with significant overlap between the two. Indeed, Where the Green Ants Dream is a classic example of Herzog’s refusal to draw a fine line between fiction and reality, with the titular Aboriginal “myth” created out of whole cloth by Herzog himself. Unfortunately, Green Ants’ title remains the most creative thing about it: the screenplay is stilted and overly sincere, the acting is fairly awful, and, despite its compelling subject matter, the movie as a whole fails to engage. This one is only for true Herzog fans.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Striking imagery of Australian Aborigines refusing to deviate from their long-held beliefs
  
• Many typically Herzog-ian panning shots of vast landscapes
  

Must See?
No. As one of Herzog’s more self-indulgent films, this will likely only be of interest to true fans of his work. Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Roger Ebert’s Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review