Woyzeck

Woyzeck

Shame, vengeance, terror... love.

Directed by Werner Herzog

Produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, ZDF

197982 min6.6 / 10

A bleak, psychologically fractured portrait of a desperate man's descent into madness and violence, driven by poverty, humiliation, and betrayal.

Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie, feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One job is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is involved in an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.

Questions people ask

  • Is Woyzeck sad? Yes, very. More sad than 98% of films.

  • Does Woyzeck end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 98% of films.

  • Is Woyzeck violent? Yes, very. More violent than 95% of films.

  • Is Woyzeck scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 94% of films.

  • Is Woyzeck easy watching? No. Less comforting than 92% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

Written about

53/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Familiar shape, done well.

Rarity74

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise39

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love50

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like Woyzeck, and what each one shares →

Like Woyzeck

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Woyzeck

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Woyzeck, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Woyzeck, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Woyzeck, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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