Résumé

Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World (2007) and Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) are poetic meditations on the limits of human existence. Through his distinctive narration and hypnotic visuals, Herzog transforms both Antarctica and the Chauvet Cave, in France, into arenas for existential inquiry. His documentaries transcend traditional ethnographic or scientific approaches, blending factual exploration with a deeply personal and philosophical gaze.
In Encounters at the End of the World, Herzog questions the purpose of human life in an extreme, indifferent landscape, portraying Antarctic scientists as dreamers in a frozen abyss. Cave of Forgotten Dreams, by contrast, peers into the past, contemplating the origins of artistic expression in Paleolithic cave paintings. Both films explore the tension between human insignificance and the sublime mystery of nature, suggesting that our deepest stories are written in ice and stone.
Herzog’s use of sound, slow pacing, and intimate interviews reinforces his films’ meditative quality. His rejection of conventional documentary objectivity invites the audience into his philosophical reflections on time, survival, and the search for meaning. Through these works, Herzog presents not just visual spectacles but also an invitation to confront our ephemeral place in the cosmos.