Werner Herzog meditates on life and death in his restrained 2011 documentary Into the Abyss.

The most compelling evidence one could submit against the death penalty is the existence of human life. Other arguable points could be made, of course: how effectively it deters future potential crimes, the cost of executing someone vs keeping them alive, and lofty ideals about justice and retribution, but the only way to dismiss human life is to ignore it. Continue reading →