A black-and-white Werner Herzog film that takes place in an institution where several people with dwarfism are held against their will. They soon band together and stage a riot, rising against their keepers and causing mayhem throughout the facility. The film itself is unique in that the entire cast is played by dwarfs, although it exploits this rather controversially- most of the rioters act like wild, dangerous children, causing needless amounts of destruction, such as setting fires and tormenting blind patients, as well as performing random acts of animal cruelty, including one scene where they literally crucify a monkey.
Even Dwarfs Started Small provides examples of:
- Crapsack World: Not only does this take place in a desolate-looking facility, none of the characters act like decent people. The black-and-white film certainly didn't help.
- Deliberately Monochrome: Perhaps. It's just as possible they couldn't afford color film stock.
- For the Evulz: The dwarfs are not innocents, and love to cause mayhem just for the hell of it. They start cockfights, kill a mother pig, crucify a monkey, burn down a tree and generally act like terrible people.
- Giggling Villain: The keepers of the institution laugh to themselves a lot, although many of the rioters seem pleased with themselves throughout the insurrection. One in particular never lets up.
- Scenery Gorn: The dimly-lit facility seems to consist of concrete walls and corrugated tin. The surrounding landscape is rather desolate as well, full of dirt roads and dead trees.
- Screaming Warrior: The rioting dwarfs when they take on the blind dwarf.