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Parents' Guide to

Salt and Fire

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Herzog drama has worthy message, off-putting delivery.

Movie NR 2017 98 minutes
Salt and Fire Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

Ricky S.
Ricky S. Adult
April 13, 2017
age 17+

I should have been a producer

See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In SALT AND FIRE, Professor Laura Somerfeld (Veronica Ferres), accompanied by two scientists (Gael Garcia Bernal and Volker Michalowski), have been dispatched to an unnamed South American country to investigate a potentially deadly environmental phenomenon. At the airport, they're met by mysterious men and subsequently kidnapped. One of the kidnappers reveals himself to be Matt Riley (Michael Shannon), the CEO of a company that likely caused the problem: an ever-expanding salt flat that's taken the place of a water source. Riley drives Laura out on the flats, reaching an island in the middle of a vast sea of white salt, and, unexpectedly, leaves her there. Even more unexpectedly, two blind boys have also been left behind. There's food, water, and shelter, but how long can they survive, and what is Riley's ultimate plan?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Usually a director of fascinating films and documentaries about humans clashing with their environments, director Werner Herzog delivers a misfire with this puzzling, uncentered drama. Clearly, Salt and Fire is meant as a kind of parable, with its story intended to represent certain themes, but those themes end up overpowering any kind of emotion or character, and the act of watching the movie becomes more like listening to an awkward sermon, delivered in odd, stiff dialogue.

Perhaps if the movie had been set in some kind of alternate or sci-fi universe, it might have helped the material go down more easily. And it does have some striking imagery. But, as it is, set in reality, the extremely peculiar, off-putting behaviors and actions -- such as a man riding in a wheelchair only when he feels like it -- clash. It's almost unintentionally surreal. Still, any movie that tries to raise awareness about the environment and the urgent need to take care of it gets a certain amount of credit, and Herzog's heart is in the right place, even if his head isn't.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Salt and Fire's violence. How much violence is shown to get the movie's point across? Is it all necessary to the story?

  • How does Matt Riley convey his concerns about the salt flat disaster? What's his plan, and how is it supposed to work? Did it work on you?

  • Did this movie make you more or less concerned about the environment and climate change?

  • Are any of the characters here role models? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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