From One Second to the Next

It's somewhat unusual that Werner Herzog was behind this, because it's not characteristic of most of his documentaries. Of course, it would feel strange if it did have that signature Herzog style, given it's a very no-nonsense PSA type of documentary about the dangers of texting while driving.

There's not a great deal that can be said about it beyond that, because once you've seen one effective PSA, you've pretty much seen them all (of course, this style can be done badly). Herzog understood the severity of the stories at hand and let them speak for themselves, and though this is straightforward and sad, that's what it needs to be... so it largely works.

I don't know if I'm getting old or I'm getting self righteous when I say I've never really found the appeal of having cell phone/mobile phone . I've got one but is rarely used to send calls only to receive them . Since I only have a cheap one that cost 10 pounds sterling it's difficult to send text on it and have never learned to send text . Astonishing I know but no big deal , and yet some people seem to exist only to receive and send text messages . Has anyone here walked through the busy concourse of an airport and had to dodge numerous idiots with their ugly faces buried in their mobile as they type a text message . If they had brains they'd be dangerous . If they had a car they'd would be potential killers and this documentary by Werner Herzog shows why

FROM ONE SECOND TO THE NEXT isn't perhaps a fitting title because my reading of the title suggests that it may mean it only takes a second of carelessness of texting to cause irredeemable carnage and lifelong grief to a stranger who has done you no harm and who you didn't know even existed till you ran in to them . Perhaps the title can also mean that the whole universe has changed - and not for the better - for someone within that second ? It's a rather ambiguous title and one that doesn't work very well

Judging a documentary by its title is like judging a book by its cover and its content that is of paramount importance . In this case Herzog grabs you right from the start . We're shown a black mother of a child who is the victim and a driver who hit her son while texting . She explains her high hopes for her son who was going to excel at sport but that dream is now over . . There is a knock on the door and she exclaims her son is back from school and you can may be second guess as to what will be revealed next . Sure enough her son's helper has brought him back from school - by pushing his wheelchair . The documentary continues along the same lines . The much loved sister who has been left brain damaged by a texting driver , the blacksmith who has had to give up the job he loved after having vertebrae broken by a texting driver and the daughter who was about to be married and lost her father to a texting driver just before the wedding

So far so sad and just in case you aren't moved by these stories of real life tragedy depressing music is played on the soundtrack ( Not sure if I've picked Bob up wrong as to " fake music " but the copy I saw did have a musical track ) and all this is very hard hitting and the emotional equivalent of getting kicked in the teeth . . Strange then that Herzog feels the need to include the stories of two drivers who have killed people while texting . Before you say I'll say it " That's because he's showing the trauma caused to people who have instigated a tragic accident . There lives have been ruined and will have to carry the guilt for the rest of their life " I doubt if that's the point of their inclusion however . What Herzog is doing deliberately or accidentally is making a film about redemption and forgiveness . One instigator of a fatal text driving incident that killed three children from the Amish community receives a letter from the bereaved father telling him that God is watching over him while another fatal instigator is met by the daughter of a man he killed . I'm afraid that if you kill someone it is forever and the more likely response is life long hatred from the families of people you killed especially if it's down to something as stupid as texting while driving which is no different from getting drunk and driving a car . Would we feel sympathy for drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes ? . Of course not and I guess this might be the reason why it hasn't been nominated for an Oscar in the short documentary category

"From One Second to the Next", by the renowned documentarian Werner Herzog, is a powerful short on the most tragic consequences resulting in people texting while driving. Herzog takes the subject that while serious may appear too general or simplistic a topic, and makes it a really personal, moving experience, showing both side of several very sad incidents. The interviews of both loved ones of victims, and of those whose texting caused tragedies (those who were willing to speak) are very powerful and moving.

Beyond all this is a dire warning to anyone who has this reckless habit to get away with it right away, and those haven't garnered it to make sure they don't start. No words which you can wait to say later—it can only take one word, an abbreviation of a few letters—can ever be worth the needless taking of a human life.

If you have a phone and if you have a car then you have texted on that phone when you have been driving – for the vast majority of people I'd say this is the case. Might just be to read a message or maybe just to type and send a one-word response, but I think a lot of people have done it. It is such a small thing that takes so little time that it is easy to justify and easy to do – in the US I imagine it is even more tempting with long highways, cruise-control and large comfortable vehicles that sometimes feel like they are driving themselves. The consequences of such action is what this film is about and, although some may be put off by the idea of educational programming for schools, let me assure you that this short film is so much more than the standard.

The main thing that drew me to it and one of the reasons it is such a strong film is that it is directed by Werner Herzog and he brings to this film the very high standards that one would associate with his feature-length documentaries. Although we (wisely) never hear his side of the interviews, he has a knack for getting people to talk, reflect and open up – not sure how he does it but it works so often. In the four stories we have presented here, he gets such great testimony. The film opens with "I had my brother in my hand" and we see a teenage girl posing half on a kerb with her hand behind her holding the hand of someone who isn't there anymore. It is a grabbing line and it is the best way to start because it never lets you go. The stories are presented factually and there is no fake music or forced sentimentality here, people just speak. For half the stories the film has access to the texters and their victims, for the other two just the victims, but they are all incredibly moving and it is hard not to feel for these people who, one way or another have had their lives completely changed for the worse. It is 35 minutes long but I found it very hard to make it through without hitting pause.

The content may sound obvious but, like I say, the manner in which it is constructed and delivered is excellent and it is greatly complemented by the direction and cinematography. For all its sadness, it is a very beautiful film to look at. The definition is high, the colors are perfect and the shot selection and framing is great. We don't just get talking heads, we also get characters in-situ in places, against backdrops; it is perhaps hard to describe but while it doesn't use visually flair or trickery, it is plain and simple a beautiful looking film and worth watching on HD even if your internet connection is a bit slow.

It is freely available online and it deserved to be watched. Those that love Herzog's work will find that he is totally present here (this is not some corporate gig for him) but the more important reason for watching is simply how tragic and brutally impacting the film is. Our lives are made up of small, selfish actions where we think of ourselves first and others second – the film makes it incredibly clear that these actions should be put to one side while in control of a 2 tonne block of metal traveling at speed.

The moment I read about this new documentary short from Werner Herzog, I thought, "A public service announcement video to warn people to never text while driving? Really?" It seems like a small hair ball of a problem that should already be common sense. Having watched the short, I realized that's precisely the problem, that texting while driving seems like a such a minor hiccup. It is not.

The half-hour short covers the story of four accidents that have caused by texting while driving. One case has a child that is paralyzed for life and is currently on life support, caused by an accident from a teenage girl who was distracted from texting. There were no skid marks. She never saw him. Another case involves a man who killed two Amish children. The driver is now perpetually left to questioning himself what was so important about his text that couldn't wait. The other two cases was a family dealing with the monstrous medical bills from her mother's accident and a family losing her father. What really struck me was the last man who caused the accident, who wasn't able to recall the text message he sent after the accident happened. He couldn't remember why it was important.

Herzog brings his brand of deep introspectiveness to the short, adding the much-needed seriousness this topic deserves. As the title suggests, life is connected by each second. It's in- between each seconds we must throw caution, because everything can change within a second. The most disturbing part for me was, my initial reaction was exactly the type of behavior this short was trying to warn against. It is not a hairball. It is not something to handle. Reading a text is not better than sending a text. There are human lives at stake. Do not text and drive. You just do not do it.

Some statistics I found on texting while driving:

• Texting while driving causes 1,600,000 accidents per year.

• The minimal amount of time needed for a text is 5 seconds. If you are traveling at 88.5 km/hour (55 miles/hour), that would cover an entire football field without any attention paid to the road.

• As of 2011, at least 23% auto collisions have involved cell phones. That amounts to 1.3 million car crashes.

• 1 out of 5 drivers of all ages confess to surfing on the web while driving.

• Text messaging is the longest eye-off-the-road time out of all the distracted driving activities. An accident is 23 times more likely to happen if you are text messaging.

The documentary can be viewed on Youtube. The slogan to the AT&T campaign is "It can wait."

For more reviews, please visit my film blog at http://hkauteur.wordpress.com/