Where the Green Ants Dream1984

This film is really great, and has a lot of great moments, but totally falls apart with the epic failure courtroom scene at the end. The Aborigines and their mythology are compelling (actually, the myth about green ants' dreams is a hodgepodge of Aboriginal myths, not exactly an authentic myth, but similar).

An unforgettable Herzog film, this film captures the Desert at its most real - the indigenous and aboriginal people of Australia are captured full-fledged while their civilized homeland is torn apart by the neighboring White civilization. We've seen Whites destroy other races (if you remember European history, the Whites destroyed a large portion of the red race when they conquested North America, because of their deadly diseases.) but we've never seen an honest and silent portrayal as this film captures.

The opening shot of a fuzzy landscape must direct us towards no solid answer, the peaceful and hopeful peoples simply wanted both (or really, three oppositional forces) to make peace with themselves. I was surprised with the ending - the dynamite which destroyed the Desert, also destroyed the Earth (where the indigenous people more than likely buried their past ancestors for over 200 years.) I think Herzog (as usual, imo) has every scene and moment perfected... Obviously, this film wins.

A prophetic poem for Western civil (?)ization.

This hit and miss drama has something to offer but doesn't connect and at times seems forced. The Aboriginal actors did a great job, the rest not so much. Indicative of today's news, which obviously will be going on until the end of time, it is about the exploitation of native lands for corporate profits and makes it's point there.

The trope lives on...but the scenery is wonderful. The characters are believable and gently done.

Very few films represent the imbrication of ontological difference and the material processes of colonial-capitalism as well as this film does. While it's true that the film does a good job of portraying the ecological depredations of colonial-capitalism, to my mind the central thesis of the film concerns the heterogeneity of discursive practices, the political and existential consequences of that heterogeneity. It is for this reason that the courtroom scene is not only absolutely necessary, but a rich and unparalleled exploration of hermeneutics as such, as well as the institutionalization of specific interpretive modes in law. This exploration is pervasive: the geologist tries and fails to interpret his dream; the old woman can't understand why mining instruments can't find her dog; the radio broadcasts football games in Spanish. We identify with the geologist as our protagonist not only because he "switches sides," but because we learn and grow with him on his asymptotic, Sisyphean journey toward understanding the Other.

As mesmerizing now (2015) as the first time I saw it. An uncanny peering into the soul and depth of Earth's oldest civilization.

Lyrical. The contested landscape--stark, windswept, violated by mining--is beautifully captured. It's a simple story that feels more fable than real, even though it's based on true events.

Beautifully poetic, rich, humanistic film from Herzog.

I liked it because it is a classic example of how outsiders try to come in and dictate how locals should live... I support locals!

Will we EVER learn what is important… ?

boaring boaring boaring

Wonderful! Not tpo be missed!

great docu movie