All of Werner Herzog's documentaries are about events that would be very interesting to see in person, but Wheel of Time is about something that doesn't translate well to the screen- the Kalachakra initiations, which are tremendously important to the Buddhist faith. I don't know that much about Buddhism or the initiations, and Herzog doesn't explain it very well, so I'll quote Wikipedia: "The Kalachakra initiations empower the disciple to practice the Kalachakra tantra in the service of attaining Buddhahood."
One thing I do know, based on this film anyway, is that Buddhism is a remarkably uncinematic religion, as many services consists of their adherents sitting in one position for a long time- sometimes hours, sometimes days, as they try to achieve holiness. Impressive to see in person (and of course, even more if you actually do it), but state of minds are notoriously difficult to film and this means that there a LOT of shots of people sitting still in meditation or people lining up to sit still in meditation.
So many of Herzog's films are about people (sometimes the director himself) trying to find some kind of spiritual clarity, but this one seems oddly restrained. I don't know what Herzog's religious beliefs are, but he films the Buddhist ceremonies more as respectful and interested observer than a devoted participant, so the movie is a little hard to get into.
There are a lot of interesting stuff in this picture of course. For me, the most spiritual moment in the film was the pilgrimage to the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India- a descendent of the original tree under which the Buddha first achieved enlightenment. There is also the sad moment where the Dalai Lama announces that he is cancelling the initiation due to a long illness (Herzog attends and films a complete one held later in Graz, Austria), and the creation of the Wheel of Time itself, an amazingly intercrite artwork of deep significance.
Herzog manages to score a major coup with an interview with the Dalai Lama himself, but there are no major revelations and the director doesn't give us any new insights into the man. The interview's are still interesting, of course.
Wheel of Time is no Lessons of Darkness but it is a basically interesting and effective documentary, but you expect more from Herzog.
Wheel of Time (2003)