My Best Fiend is a documentary film by Werner Herzog detailing his tumultuous relationship with actor Klaus Kinski. Herzog and Kinski made five films together, many of which, such as Aguirre: Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, and Nosferatu, are justly considered to be classic works. Unfortunately, this documentary fails reach those lofty heights. The main problem with this film is that it focuses too explicitly on Kinski’s petulant outbursts. By almost all accounts, Kinski was a nightmare to work with and there is plenty of footage that evidences his tantrums and rages. Nevertheless, even if this type of behavior was typical of Kinski, My Best Fiend feels too slanted, as if Herzog intended the main message to be a portrayal of Kinski’s insanity and irritability. Even though the ending of the documentary tries to establish the groundwork of a creative friendship between these two men, it’s difficult to shake off the violence of their earlier arguments.

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