My Best Fiend
Werner Herzog revisits his combustible, deeply dependent creative partnership with Klaus Kinski through candid testimony and revealing archive footage.
Overview
A tumultuous bond between a visionary director and his volatile star unfolds in the heart of filmmaking.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- intimate
- unsettling
- cinephile evening
- film history deep dive
What critics said
Critics broadly found the documentary captivating and eloquent in its portrait of Herzog and Kinski's unforgettable creative partnership, though some viewed its mythmaking as self-serving.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Herzog describes the intense trust, conflict, and imagined murder plots surrounding his partnership with Kinski.
Interviews, archive footage, and Herzog's recollections turn the director-actor relationship into a contested cinematic mythology.
The documentary connects Herzog's directorial identity to Kinski's famously volatile performances and their demanding productions.
Kinski's archive appearances are set against Herzog and other participants revisiting their shared filmmaking history.
Films like My Best Fiend, and why
Burden of Dreams
director portrait shaped by volatile collaboration, artistic obsession, and archival filmmaking history
The Filmmaker's House
cinephilic documentary portrait centered on a difficult, charismatic filmmaker and his creative mythology
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
intimate documentary examination of a celebrated artist's personality, working methods, and troubled relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Werner Herzog
- Release Date
- 1999-05-17
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (227)
Cast
- Werner Herzog
- Klaus Kinski
- Claudia Cardinale
- Eva Mattes
- Baron van der Recke
- José Koechlin von Stein
- Bill Pence
- Baronin van der Recke
- Beat Presser
- Guillermo Ríos
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is My Best Fiend about?
- Werner Herzog revisits his combustible, deeply dependent creative partnership with Klaus Kinski through candid testimony and revealing archive footage.
- What is My Best Fiend like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of My Best Fiend as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is My Best Fiend violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in My Best Fiend as mild.
- What did critics think of My Best Fiend?
- Critics broadly found the documentary captivating and eloquent in its portrait of Herzog and Kinski's unforgettable creative partnership, though some viewed its mythmaking as self-serving.
- Which films are like My Best Fiend?
- Films with a similar feel include Burden of Dreams, The Filmmaker's House, and Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present.
- How long is My Best Fiend?
- My Best Fiend runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch My Best Fiend?
- In United States, My Best Fiend streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
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