Little Dieter Needs to Fly

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.

A haunting, introspective documentary where a survivor confronts his trauma through memory and re-enactment, exploring resilience and the psychological weight of captivity.

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.