Little Dieter Needs to Fly

(Werner Herzog voiceover)  Men are often haunted by things that happen to them in life, especially in war or other periods of great intensity. Sometimes you see these men walking the streets or driving in their car. Their lives seem to be normal, but they are not.
 
From that beginning point on, I watched with great interest to see how Dieter Dengler, a man who put on the face of normalcy, lived and coped in a post traumatic world. I was interested because not everyone is able to put on that face.  From opening and shutting doors, storing long term provisions, to building his home high on a hill with walls of windows, Dengler’s coping skills were impressive.

Herzog had Dengler travel back to Laos, where he had been shot down, and staged some reenactments. Even though they were wooden and the men looked uncomfortable in their roles, it brought about one of the most moving moments in the film. 

(Spoiler alert) When a man became troubled while Dengler conveyed an especially harrowing moment, Dengler stopped, put his arm around him and said “It’s just a movie, don’t worry about it. You still have your finger.” (end spoiler)

Tactility inter-played throughout the film. Dengler comforted the cast, touched the tools and buildings, and explored the jungle. He explained that while the monsoons had raged he and Duane would hold each other for “warmth and friendship in this misery.”  My mind wandered back to a moment when I had met two Vietnam Veterans at a concert. I had brought my Vietnamese twin toddlers and the men asked if they could pick them up. They held the children and talked to them and cried. I had stepped away to give them some space, so I don’t know the words that were spoken. Even if only a little, they had found a tangible way to heal. Did the documentary do the same for Dengler?

Herzog gets out of the way just enough to allow Dengler to tell the story in his own redemptive way. But Herzog is there, in voice, in musical choices, in contextual connections and the prolonged ending shot.  Knowing it was the end, I wanted more—more details, more understanding, more time with Dengler. Perhaps Herzog had a similar reaction, motivating him to retell the story in a different format.
 
Side note:
The first time I heard of Dieter Dengler was when I was asked to help supplement the high school curriculum for a tribute band for veterans. My job was to compile a sample list of war movies for each of the major American wars (Boy, could I have used this forum!). When it came to the Vietnam War, I was stumped. Green Berets was not going to land on my list, but neither could I use anything aged above the students. Luckily I found Rescue Dawn and was able to submit my recommendations. I wanted to know the story after the story, so I put Little Dieter Needs to Fly in the queue. Well, other interests came and buried the documentary—until now.