Herzog falls victim to baiting his interview subjects to give the answer he wants us to hear in this early documentary. Aside from that flaw Herzog is, as usual, way ahead of his time.

Effectively makes a point about the politics of disability.

A film in which Herzog advocates for and with the handicapped children of Munich, critiquing the physical and social barriers erected by those in West Germany who define what it is to be abled. The portrayal of the USA as a utopia of sorts for the handicapped is an indictment of West German society at the time.

A rather rudimentary early documentary by Herzog. Despite its more bare and direct style (basically a TV news segment), it does show glimpses of Herzog's distinctive perspective and his amazing ability to draw intimate expansive reflections from his subjects (perhaps in a slightly manipulative way here), elevating this beyond its already commendable social function.

An early documentary from Werner Herzog made for German television depicting the difficulties experienced by physically disabled children in Germany and contrasting the opportunities afforded in the United States. It's a damn fine little documentary.

Something of a companion piece to Land of Silence and Darkness, Behinderte Zukunft focuses on the isolation that people with disabilities faced in Germany in the early 70's. Interestingly enough, Americans tended to have more progressive views about the subject, so the American segments are more positive in terms of outlook. Perhaps the prejudice that older Germans had towards disabled people was an unfortunate carryover from WW2? Either way, it's watchable, but it's too dry and conventional.

By shifting the focus between different age groups, we're prompted to consider how prejudices towards disability are formed - to what extent they're conditioned and how early integration has the potential to normalise differences in people. Herzog doesn't have much scope to deviate from the "Gebrauchsfilm" formula or politics here, and he describes it as being too conventional, but seeing how purely these kids communicate their sense of alienation is still really visceral and thought provoking.

A very un-stylized Herzog documentary. It's a pretty basic examination with a simplistic message. Nothing about it particularly wowed me, but I did find one scene very interesting; a mother, sitting with her ten year old son who has no arms, describes how intolerable it is to be seen out in public with him. The comments of strangers are so stressful to her that she typically opts to keep her poor kid inside. She's infinitely more bothered by her son's disability than he is.

O tom de denúncia resguarda de ser uma obra-prima