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Woyzeck

1979·Movie
1h 22min·NR
IMDb6.9Rotten Tomatoes86%76%

Where to watch

PhiloThe RokuKanopyShout! Factory TVFandor

Links go to licensed services. Data from JustWatch and TMDB.

What's your score?

Your score

Woyzeck fingerprint

High energy, strong craft, no humor.

Energy

Tense and violent

Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.

  • Tension8
  • Violence8
  • Adrenaline3

Heart

Deeply moving and profoundly sad

  • Pathos9
  • Melancholy9
  • Family Dynamics6

Humor

A little humor

Not a comedy at heart.

  • Wit & Wordplay3
  • Cringe Humor2
  • Absurdist Humor1

World

The mind, society, and history

Lived-in and easy to get lost in.

  • World Immersion8
  • Dialogue Centrality7
  • Rewatchability6

Craft

Standout performances, direction, and characters

  • Acting10
  • Direction9
  • Character Depth9

Style

Standout cinematography

  • Cinematography8
  • Editing7
  • Sound Centrality7

Who it's for

AdultsFriends NightPartner WatchSolo WatchThought-Provoking

Skip it if

You need an uplifting moodYou want fast pacingGraphic violence bothers you

Find more like it

Suspense moviesPsychological moviesMelancholic moviesAtmospheric movies

Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.

About

Shame, vengeance, terror... love.

Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie, feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One job is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is involved in an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.
Existential TragedyPsychological DescentGrim Historical DramaSocial CritiqueUnflinching PortrayalKlaus Kinski PerformancePower of DesperationBleak & ProfoundHuman Exploitation

Crew

Directed by:
Werner Herzog
Written by:
Werner Herzog, Georg Büchner
Produced by:
Walter Saxer, Joschi Arpa
Composed by:
Harald Maury

Sequels and Prequels

No sequels or prequels available

Media

Questions about Woyzeck

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Woyzeck legally?

PhiloThe RokuKanopyShout! Factory TVFandorPlexCineverseShout! Factory

Woyzeck is included with a subscription to Philo in the United States. You can watch it free with ads on Kanopy, Shout! Factory TV, and Plex. You can also rent or buy it from Apple TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Google Play Movies. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.

Is Woyzeck worth watching?

78
GreatGoodWatch score

Mostly. It's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 78/100 (IMDb 6.9 and Rotten Tomatoes 86%). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.

What is Woyzeck rated?

NRViolenceDisturbing imagerySuicide themes

It's rated NR in the United States. Content advisories: violence, disturbing imagery, and suicide themes.

How long is Woyzeck?

1 h 22 min

Woyzeck runs 1 h 22 min.

Do critics and audiences agree on Woyzeck?

Critics86
Audiences73

Not quite. Critics rate Woyzeck higher (86) than audiences (73). It may be more rewarding than it is crowd-pleasing.

What language is Woyzeck in?

German

It was made in German. Produced in Germany.

In how many countries can I watch Woyzeck?

19ATAUBECACHDEDKESFIFRGBGGITLU+5

GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for Woyzeck in 19 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.

What tropes does Woyzeck use?

Soundtrack DissonanceHumiliation CongaNietzsche WannabeProtagonist TitleTest Subject for HireBased on a True StoryIronic Nursery TuneFractured Fairy TaleVillain SongSliding Scale of Idealism Versus CynicismFemale GazeMad Doctorand 15 more

TV Tropes lists 27 storytelling tropes for Woyzeck, including Soundtrack Dissonance, Humiliation Conga, Nietzsche Wannabe.