Werner Herzog's fictionalized tale of a famous "wild child" reminds me of David Lynch's own dramatic biography The Elephant Man. Both explore the imagined lives of innocent outcasts. Both feature freakish men as protagonists and society as a monster. Most notably, both directors who are known for their cynical and perplexing views on humanity treat their subjects with gentle respect, despite tragic ends.

Kaspar Hauser was discovered in 1828 on a Nuremberg street, lacking almost all abilities for speech or even standing upright. He held a letter from an unknown source asking for someone to look after him. The town is befuddled and fascinated by the apparently autistic oddity, unable to decide between educating him or locking him up. They put him in a tower cell where he is alternately taught and teased. His eventual grasp of communication is rewarded by employment as a sideshow attraction. Kaspar's condition is the talk of socialites and royalty, who take him under their wings. He rejects the refined cliques and refuses to tolerate the discomforts of their higher institutions.

The film frequently shows structure and maturity as entrapment. Kaspar is referred to as a child or boy even though clearly approaching middle age. Children are the naif's main educators, adults his tormentors. His creative responses to logic puzzles and rules of etiquette frustrate and anger his rigid attendants. The more Kaspar is exposed to life the more he yearns for his years spent chained in a dark basement. The civilized world is his ultimate prison and undoing.

The depiction of Hauser by Bruno S. is riveting. Wide, unblinking eyes devour everything. His face is a frozen grimace through every experience, good or bad. His embodiment of an awkward blank slate is quite convincing. It's not surprising to learn he is an amateur performer relying less on acting than his own mental instability. Based on what I've read about his troubled upbringing it's likely that Bruno simply relives his pain for the camera. That brings up the issue of possible exploitation by Herzog, a director with a history of abusing actors for the sake of art. It somehow seems fitting in relation to the film's themes.

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