Wings of Desire

UK Release Date: 6 May 1988

Certification: PG

Director: Wim Wenders

Cast: Curt Bois, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander

Rating: 68%

"Why am I here, and why not there?"

Review: 

Recently, my local arthouse cinema was showing a rendition of Wim Wenders film, Wings of Desire. The German foreign feature is an exploration of the qualities of human life through the eyes of an angel, Damiel.  

Bruno Ganz plays Damiel flawlessly. From the sense of longing for both a romantic relationship and the desire to become human to the delight and wonder of subtle details synonymous with living. It was a performance that exceeded all my expectations due to it's elegance and complexity. It absolutely baffles me that with such a delightful outing, Ganz would go on to play Adolf Hitler in Downfall 15 years later. Otto Sander is much more understated as Cassiel but is just as good, showing a great deal of range with limited screen time. He makes you feel real anguish with one shout of 'Nein'. Peter Falk also shines playing himself. The American makes him stand out and feel out of place but he brings a certain sense of charm and charisma to the story. Solveig Dommartin's performance doesn't hold up to the others in my opinion. There's one too many monologues and I don't honestly believe that she would fall far Damiel on one meeting. 

Wings of Desire has some outstanding cinematography for 1988. The camera moves freely and effortlessly. The point of view shots from an angel's perspective really immerse the audience into the world created. Overheard shots helps quantify the scale. And tracking shots regularly allow the audience to explore what is truly going on. 

The story being told is a bit of strange one for me because I enjoyed certain aspects more than others. Until the film changes from black and white to vibrant colour it feels like multiple short stories barely held together by Damiel and Cassiel observing everything. I also thought that the idea of the divide in Germany as a result of the war could've been explore more. On the other hand, the fact that Wenders chooses not to include 'God' was a clever decision because it grounds the film making the characters in Wings of Desire a lot more relatable.