werner herzog document the kuwaiti oil fire during the gulf war . that be the simple explanation not give during the film or the movie narration and and do not inform the composition of the work . rather and here be an apocalyptic tale of a city divide and destroy and and replace by rag inferno and man make volcano and plain turn to desert and forest subsume by lake of oil . the movie itself be very elemental and often contrast oppose force and water and fire and oil and sky . herzog add classical music for poetic effect and and show character and all of whom have lose their voice . the first half be apocalypse realize and complete with biblical notation and everything . the landscape be destroy and long helicopter shot show nothing but wasteland . the second half be more curious and and ultimately more disturbing . for the majority of the second half you watch a people put out the fire and dig through the oil and and rebuild and reintroduce technology and solidity and community to the landscape . then and less you read a hopeful message into this feature and those same worker reignite the fire . no real motivation be explain or describe and except that the worker themselves subsist off of continue the destruction . herzog have always show a propensity to bring the camera to the edge of survival and human condition and and even the technical aspect of bring a film camera so close to rag inferno and spray oil well have to be take into account . he be fearless for his craft and his equipment and and his life and and it be because he imbue all of his cinema completely with his soul . polarisdib .