Review of Wings of Desire (1987) by Sammontry — 28 Oct 2018

“Wings of Desire” can be compared to a long road trip spent sitting in a car while a child repeatedly asks their parents “are we there yet?” It is a movie that has no direct plot line and full of evident symbols that are up for the viewers interpretation.

The film “Wings of Desire” directed by Wim Wenders was released in 1987.Set in 1980 West Berlin, angels Damiel played by Bruno Ganz and Cassiel played by Otto Sander wander through the streets peering into the minds of passing strangers.

This movie’s storyline had very high potential at being interesting and entertaining but overall it was a let down. The scenes of the angels listening to people's thoughts has no significance to the movie, other than to simply relay the message that angels can hear what people are thinking.

There is no clear answer to why Wenders filmed an hour and a half of thoughts that do not align, there is only assumption. Also, from the usual blockbuster movies we see, you are used to the plot being given to you, with a clear and evident storyline.

The plot of Wings of Desire however is to be searched for and will not be found until the second half of the movie. A good thing was that the cinematography of this movie was beautifully shot. The library scene in fact is the most interesting use of cinematography within the entire movie.

Intense choir music powered over the visuals of the scene and made so much emotion come through to the audience; It sent chills down your spine. Being such a quiet movie, the music plays a major role.

Overall this movie is a 5 out of 10, the main factor in this is because nearly 50% of the movie does no service to the plot at all. Although the plot is rewarding this movie is not recommended to those who do not want to search for the meaning and who are impatient viewers.