In the beginning of Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, Werner Herzog notes: "Bruce Chatwin was a writer like like no other. He would craft mythical tales into voyages of the mind." Herzog himself has a strange ability of transforming the most brutal and horrific aspects of nature and society into poetry of the soul. It is even more astonishing if one notes how unromantic his treatment of nature actually is. In Grizzly Man (2005), Timothy Treadwell's enthusiasm for the bear is undercut by Herzog's voice pointing out the indifference of the beast to human sentiments. The British travel writer and Herzog's long-time friend Bruce Chatwin possessed a similar fascination with nature, landscape, and people, especially Aboriginal communities and nomadic tribes. Made with a lot of love and care, Nomad is Herzog's tribute to his friend. Instead of facts about Chatwin's life, we are offered a portrait of his soul. Herzog's documentary goes to the places Chatwin cherished in his life. And the result is mesmerizing.
