Werner Herzog's latest film, “Bucking Fastard,” is unlike anything audiences have seen before. The director, who turned 84 while promoting the film at the Venice Film Festival, describes it as a blend of bawdy sex comedy, picaresque adventure, and an eccentric existential journey. Starring real-life sisters Kate and Rooney Mara as nearly identical twins, Joan and Jean Holbrooke, the film explores their lockstep unison in speech, movement, and desire, sharing dreams and even a love interest, played by Orlando Bloom. Domhnall Gleeson also features in a stellar cast.

Hermetic and often unexpected, Herzog's narrative features, including classics like “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” “Fitzcarraldo,” and “Heart of Glass” (where actors performed under hypnosis), consistently challenge conventions. While “Bucking Fastard” proved to be an acquired taste for some at Venice, its peculiar charm captivated the festival, now seeking North American distribution. Filmed in February 2025 across Ireland and inside a famous Slovenian cave, the movie has also screened at Telluride and is slated for Toronto and New York.

Herzog revealed that “Bucking Fastard” was initially invited to the Cannes Film Festival for an out-of-competition slot. He declined the offer, however, driven by a desire for his lead actresses, Kate and Rooney Mara, to have the opportunity to compete for awards. Despite the rejection, Herzog maintains there's no ill will towards Cannes, and the film is now a strong contender for the Venice jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

In an interview following the film's world premiere, Herzog, known for his warm gravitas, reflected on the audience's reception and the unique performances of his cast.

"It’s obvious that the audience loves [the Maras]," Herzog stated. "And they love Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson. Not a single one that is mediocre. So they’re all very, very good. They’re at their best. And somehow as a director, I’ve always managed to get the very, very best out of my actors. They’re always at their best. Klaus Kinski, Nicolas Cage. He says that was his best performance in his life [in “Bad Lieutenant”]. And way after the film that got him the Academy Award. So in a way, I always try to get the very, very best out of everyone, but it’s more than that. I try to get the best out of my audience."

For the first time in his career, Herzog conducted rehearsals for “Bucking Fastard,” though they were cut short after a few days due to the Mara sisters' exceptional preparation and synchronicity. He described their method:

"Normally it would be done through synchronizing your breathing. Like in stages of ancient Greek tragedies, you have the chorus that speaks in unison, and they normally assemble, stand in a circle, and breathe together, even touching their solar plexus. When they are synced up, they step out, and they speak in sync. It didn’t work with Kate and Rooney, but what worked — they discovered it by singing, I think, their earliest childhood song, and they would sing it, and then they would hum it, and then they’re almost inaudibly and they were in sync."

Herzog detailed his intimate role in capturing this unique performance:

"Directors normally do not do the slate board, but I always want to be the last one between my actors, to be the closest one and on the other side, the camera and lights and sound and whatever. And I heard them humming, and then it fades away, and I still knew a few more moments, and they would be in sync. And I sensed it because I was that close. I could touch them, so close. And when I knew now they’re in the rhythm, I would do the slate and move out."

He emphasized the unprecedented nature of their performance: "They are really in the flow, and they’re so like one soul in two bodies. And they’re ingenious. I mean, what you see, the audience immediately knows it. They instantly know it. What you see, you have never seen on a screen before. It’s unprecedented. By the way, this is the reason I wanted to have a film in Venice. People say, 'Cannes Film Festival overlooked it.' It’s not true. Cannes didn’t overlook it. They invited it into the official selection, but it turned out it would not be in competition. And I said, 'I don’t need a competition. I’ve been in many; I don’t need an award. I’ve got awards, but the two sisters should be in a position where they can compete for best actress.'"

Regarding the Cannes decision, Herzog showed understanding for festival directors:

"No, no. You see, don’t go after the festival directors. It’s a most joyless, thankless job on God’s wide earth. They have 3,000 films applying and they take 20. So 4,980 filmmakers are against you and don’t like you. No, no, it’s a difficult, very, very difficult task. I don’t mind at all, but I had to gamble. I declined the offer, and I said, 'Well, hopefully Venice takes the film in competition.' And when they saw it, they were instantly, instantly taken by it. And so it’s a wonderful place to start to do the splashdown."

Herzog has a rich history with the Venice Film Festival, having previously shown films like “Bad Lieutenant” and “Invincible” in competition, and even having two films in competition in a single year, an unprecedented feat. He also received the Venice Golden Lion last year, an honor he had declined multiple times before.

Despite his age, Herzog shows no signs of slowing down. He revealed, "while we are speaking here, I’m only a few days away from finishing the next one. I have a film practically finished already. I’m writing at the moment and I’m working on a book by the publishing house, Taschen, photos of all my films." He acknowledged some physical limitations, particularly when recounting the arduous filming of "Ghost Elephants" in Namibia and Angola, where he had to direct remotely for parts of the shoot.

“Bucking Fastard” is dedicated to the late David Lynch, a gesture Herzog discussed with deep reverence.

"There was a deep respect for each other’s work, although we are so different in what our output is," Herzog explained. He had hoped Lynch would be the first to see the film but was unable to share it before Lynch's passing. Herzog noted that in recent years, contact with Lynch became challenging due to Lynch's deep immersion in transcendental meditation. "Speaking to him across a table, he would have a photo placed facing him on the table... the photo was of a guru, and he would have the picture of the guru, and beyond the picture of the guru, there was me. He wanted to talk about world peace and meditation, and I’m not into that. So it shifted." Herzog confirmed this felt like a barrier but emphasized that neither intended it.

He cautioned against over-analyzing the dedication: "David, quite often he said, 'We should do something together.' And I told him the story of 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done,' and he said, 'Ah, can I produce that?' But it was with some distance. He was not daily involved or anything like that. So no, it’s just if you try to read too much into it, you overload it."

Finally, Herzog shared his strong, characteristic views on artificial intelligence in filmmaking, referencing a hybrid documentary, "About a Hero," that attempted to recreate his film atmosphere with AI.

"The intention of this young filmmaker was never to remake any [of my films], but making something in the spirit. And I immediately said, 'You will fail. It is such a stupid idea. It’s phenomenally, abysmally stupid. I will not take part in it.' He wanted me to explain things and have my voice in it. I said, 'You are alone. There’s such a thing as free speech, which I respect. So go ahead and fail.' And it is a failure, period."

He concluded with a pointed critique: "It’s so standardized that AI can step in because there’s not real storytelling. It’s mimicry of something that has happened before. And I welcome AI to replace all the idiots who are into nothing but repeating, repeating, repeating until it’s ad nauseam. When it’s ad nauseam, please, please, please let AI step in and do the job."