Review of Wings of Desire (1987) by Jason 123 D — 16 Oct 2013

There's no denying that "Wings of Desire" is a beautiful film and one with some bold ideas and calling it a masterpiece wouldn't be a stretch but the film isn't without its flaws. The film is set in West Berlin at the time when the city was divided by the Berlin Wall. The story follows two angels, Damiel (the principal character, played by Bruno Ganz) and his friend Cassiel (Otto Sander). They are immortal, eternal, intangible and can only be seen by children. They are unable to affect the physical world except by providing spiritual comfort to the humans in their city. Their job is to observe the world (they can move effortlessly pretty much anywhere as well as read minds) and help out in small ways whenever they can. The story also follows some of the people inside Berlin, particularly a wandering poet named Homer (Curt Bois) who worries about the future, a lonely trapeze artist named Marion (Solveig Dommartin) and the American Peter Falk playing himself. As the film progresses it becomes clear that Damiel wants more. He yearns for the ability to taste food, to experience touch, to be able to be seen and to be loved. Unexpectedly, he finds out that there is a way for him to shed his wings and become human.

Now you're probably wondering to yourself "Hey, isn't this the plot to that Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan movie City of Angels?", well yes and no. The 1998 American film is loosely (very loosely) based on the love story that develops between Damiel and Marion. Other than that and the fact that there are angels living among us, the two have very little in common. This is not a romantic drama. It's a reflective, philosophical piece about the meaning of being human. The film illustrates very well how as people grow up they lose sight of the little things that are important. As humans, we take things for granted, like how great rubbing our hands together to keep them warm feels or the taste of new foods, the ability to tell lies, to imagine things that aren't there or to relax. This outside perspective of an angel, a character that has been around since the dawn of time but is unable to do any of those simple things, will really make you think about what you take for granted as a person. It will also bring you back to a time where as a child you took things at face value. As an adult, you know that as you grow older your personality changes and you become a different person but to children, the idea is unfathomable. Why is that? Does this mean that we lose a part of ourselves as we grow older and wiser? Ideas like this are what make the movie so interesting to discuss.

On a technical level, the film is excellent too. The use of colour is very creative for example. To convey the idea that although and angel's life is endless, it is also soulless director Wim Wenders shoots most of the film in black and white. It is only when we see life from the human perspective that we get to see how vibrant everything is and it gives you a glimpse of how hollow a life without touch or creativity would be. It's not that our main character is unhappy; it's that he wants more. The special effects are also very well done. Scenes that show how the angels are able to manipulate objects but can't feel them or affect our world are done creatively and get the point across very clearly, even if you're not thinking about them on a deeper level than just not being able to pick things up and manipulate them at your will. Best of all though is the cinematography. The way that the scenes of Marion on her trapeze are shot, with spotlights aimed at the left and right of the screen so that even when she is swinging outside of the frame we can see her shadow is nothing short of brilliant. If you're a fan of this German expressionism technique, you'll be delighted to see the camera tricks used in the film.

For all of the emotional impact and clever ways the film is put together though, there are times when the movie feels slow. For a film that is just over 2 hours long it repeats itself a few too many times. We don't need another reminder of how a child's simple appreciation for things makes them different from adults through an off-screen narration; we just saw a scene where a tent full of children excitedly clapped at a circus performance that in no way impressed their parents or the audience. Yes it's a beautiful and thought provoking moment but the story loses its momentum by pounding the message into your head a few too many times. There are some moments with the old poet Homer that also felt lost in translation and no amount of repetition helped. This might be because I am not very familiar with German history, but if the movie requires you to do research beforehand to understand it, that's a sign of trouble. It would have been a minor quibble except for the fact that it's constantly repeated throughout. It's frustrating that the pace couldn't have been adjusted just a bit to be slightly faster because at the very end of the film there's a moment between Marion and Damiel that should have you on the edge of your seat. You see them approaching each other. This is it! We've been waiting for these two to get together this whole time! Wait... why is she going into a long speech? What do you mean... to be continued?!

Even you don't know what to expect from "Wings of Desire", you'll likely gross restless towards the end. That means it will take some time or even at least one other viewing for it to grow on you. For everything that it does right I recommend it, even while recognizing that a lot of people will see it, won't like it and won't to look more into the film to get a deeper understand or appreciation of the piece. I was moved, inspired and very happy to have seen it even though I was disappointed by the ending and felt like it was a bit dull at times. Decide for yourself though, check it out. (Original theatrical version with English subtitles, September 27, 2013).