Wings Of Desire

Wings of Desire was recently recommended to me and being a bit of a foreign film snob I immediately went to Blockbuster and checked it out. I cannot recommend this film enough. It is spacious, contemplative, hauntingly beautiful, an inspired melancholy and affirming of the human condition.

Filmed throughout Berlin it is a love letter to the city. It's the story of an angel who wants to give up his wings to experience the sensations of being human.

I found myself scared by his decision. Why give up a spiritual life where nothing can hurt you to enter a human world of broken expectations and selfish driven need? Why? Because he was bored - that's why. He wants the gamble, the unknown and the possible ultimate payoff - the sensation of truly loving someone.

The film is remarkable in it's simplicity and it's saddness. The images are stark and the characters silently transform themselves. The narrative is strangely dense without ever feeling heavy. The cinematography is breathtaking and the images stay with you for a long time. The opening sequence is ridiculously gorgeous.

What is even more remarkable about this film is the approach the director (Wim Wenders) took in making it. He barely had a script so he just filmed and let the story take it's own shape. The screenwriter would send him a page of text from time to time and the actors basically followed the director's lead. As a result the film is sparse and poetic and most narration is done in voice over.

Peter Falk plays himself and, at first it feels jarring to have Columbo floating around in this German art film but as the story unfolds - it all makes sense. In addition, a young Nick Cave makes a cameo and he rocks!

Next time you go to the video store or pick your monthly Netflixs - watch Wings of Desire.