Werner Herzog's latest provocation, "Bucking Fastard," premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday night to a standing ovation lasting six and a half minutes. The film stars real-life sisters Rooney and Kate Mara as Jean and Joan Holbrooke, a pair of siblings so enmeshed in each other's lives that they speak in unison, dress identically, and pursue the same romantic interests. The truncated plot details suggest their shared desire centers on actor Orlando Bloom.
Herzog, the 82-year-old German director known for his unflinching explorations of human obsession and madness, ventures into psychological territory that feels deliberately designed to unsettle. The film's title alone signals Herzog's playful defiance of mainstream sensibilities. Rather than retreat into convention, he doubles down on the bizarre by casting sisters who share genuine biological connection, amplifying the film's exploration of symbiosis and codependency to uncomfortable extremes.
The Mara sisters bring formidable credentials to Herzog's vision. Rooney Mara, an Oscar nominee for her role in David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," has repeatedly chosen challenging material over commercial safety. Kate Mara, known for television work including "House of Cards" and "Pose," has shown similar willingness to inhabit morally and psychologically complex characters. Their decision to collaborate on a Herzog project suggests confidence in the director's artistic vision and their own ability to navigate material that trades in transgression.
Venice's response matters. The festival, which premiered Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," Pedro Almodóvar's "The Skin I Live In," and Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain," maintains a reputation for rewarding cinematic risk. A 6.5-minute standing ovation signals more than polite appreciation. Festival audiences deploy such gestures for films that provoke genuine emotional and intellectual response, even when that response involves discomfort or revulsion.
Herzog's filmography consistently interrogates the spaces between desire and taboo. His documentaries examine obsession with anthropological precision. His fictional works push characters toward psychological extremes where conventional morality dissolves. "Bucking Fastard" appears to follow this pattern, using the heightened strangeness of twin sisters' synchronized existence as a lens through which to examine desire, identity, and the boundaries of acceptable human connection.
The film's Venice premiere positions it squarely within the prestige festival circuit rather than mainstream commercial distribution. This placement suggests Herzog and his producers accept limited theatrical release in exchange for critical legitimacy and awards consideration. Future festival slots at Berlin, San Francisco, or New York will likely follow. North American audiences may encounter the film through specialty distributors or streaming platforms before seeing wider theatrical availability.
The Mara sisters' choice to collaborate with Herzog elevates both their individual profiles within art cinema circles while demonstrating their commitment to material that refuses easy categorization or comfort. For Herzog, casting recognizable actors in an unrecognizable narrative serves his long-standing interest in disrupting expectations. Venice's standing ovation suggests the gamble paid off, at least for an audience primed to expect and appreciate artistic provocation.