Ballad of a Righteous Merchant 2017

Overview

Ballad of a Righteous Merchant is a documentary film released in 2017 that chronicles the making of director Werner Herzog's 2009 feature, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. Directed by Herbert Golder and starring Werner Herzog alongside Michael Shannon and Chloë Sevigny, the documentary provides profound insight into the director and his craft. The film serves as an intimate portrait of Werner Herzog filming his feature, offered by that film's co-writer, a friend, and long-time collaborator, giving a glimpse of a master at work while exploring abiding and deep themes of his films. My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done was inspired by the true story of an actor who committed in reality the crime he was supposed to enact on stage, which was murdering his mother. With his longtime friend Herbert Golder behind the lens, Herzog reveals the privacy and deep solitude that defines the director and his art.