I finally got around to watching Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin. This documentary film was directed and stars Werner Herzog as he traces the life journey of his friend and sometimes collaborator, Bruce Chatwin.
The film is a spiritual exercise in the pursuit of nomadism. Werner Herzog always provides gravitas whenever he is on camera. Seeing him with Chatwin’s rucksack, a gift Chatwin gave to Herzog near the end of Chatwin’s life is extraordinary.
I’ve been a fan of Bruce Chatwin for a long time. I used his Songlines as one of the sources for a paper I wrote in grad school about the historic conflict between the sedentary and nomadic peoples of history.
I’ve re-read Songlines, Why Am I Here and Patagonia several times each. Chatwin’s life is always a good reminder to go outside, walk about, travel and see the adventure in life. I write in a Chatwin inspired moleskine notebook every day.
The film is enigmatic and mercurial much like the subject. It is a nice, reflective piece of art and I enjoyed it very much.
