2011, color, sound, 105 minutes, rated PG-13 written and directed by Werner Herzog

In his fascinating examination of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill—and why a state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (who was scheduled to die eight days after his interview with Herzog), the film-maker achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” Courtesy of IFC Films.