Michael_Elliott From One Second to the Next (2013) **** (out of 4) This 34-minute documentary was produced by the major phone companies as a way to push their message of not texting and driving. The film talks to several people who were the cause of deadly accidents or the victim of such accidents due to someone texting while driving.These type of educational films have been around for decades and more often than not they're pretty laughable and over-dramatic to the point where they're viewed today as something to have a party with while watching. That's certainly not the case with this one but that should be expected since you've got a filmmaker like Werner Herzog behind the camera. Without question he's one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live and there's no doubt that he knows how to make an emotional documentary. This film here certainly nails home its message of "waiting" to text and I think it's going to have an impact on whoever watches it. That doesn't mean it's going to make people stop texting while driving but I think the filmmaker and producers would be happy even if it just saved one life.The stories told are pretty heartbreaking to watch and the entire film has a very somber, cold and depressing feel to it. Some have criticized it for showing redemption but I think that really misses the point. After all, life has to go on after such traumatic events and I think Herzog is simply showing the impact of one's actions and what life will be like trying to move past it. The story are all extremely well-told and for the most part the film is pretty flawless from a technical stand point. If you're familiar with the work of Herzog then you'll know that a lot of times during his documentaries he's on screen talking to the people being interviewed. It's curious to see he doesn't do that here and instead just lets the people tell their stories.FROM ONE SECOND TO THE NEXT certainly has a message behind it and Herzog brings that point across with ease.

Theo Robertson 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 whyFROM 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

hkauteur 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/

WakenPayne I'm sorry but as a documentary filmmaker Herzog did impress me more than what he does as a narrative filmmaker. This is a very effective documentary that should be shown to everyone in this day and age.First of all I really enjoyed hearing the side of the story not only of the victims, but also of people who have done it. It is almost impossible to not feel sorry for these people. All of them present the heartbreaking effects of texting while driving. I will be absolutely surprised if this does not get nominated for the "Best short Documentary" at the Academy Awards.So if you are up to date in society's technology. Watch this movie. The message is as clear as day but unlike something like a Michael Moore documentary, this time it is genuine.