This is a film that’s been on my to-watch list for a good long time. I debated covering it for the blog, since I wasn’t sure if it was quite “obscure” exactly, but I’m sure there are plenty of folks that haven’t seen it. Plus, I was thinking about covering a different Wim Wenders film for this site, but I wanted to see this film beforehand as something of a primer. Anyways, I found Wings of Desire to be rather interesting. It discusses classic ideas that are both mythological and existential and creates a captivating ethereal atmosphere. Some aspects of its presentation might ride the line for some audiences between being effective and being pretentious, but on the whole, I think it makes for a fascinating watch. I’ll give you an idea of the premise.
The film follows two angels named Damiel and Cassiel as they travel around Berlin, following the lives of various people and listening to their inner thoughts. Damiel seems to be contemplating the nature of an angel’s existence versus a human’s, how angels are immortal but live a life without feeling or true experience while humans are the opposite. Among the several people they observe (which include a woman on the way to the hospital to give birth, a couple going through a difficult situation, and a man going through the process of suicide), Damiel takes a special interest in a trapeze artist working in a soon-to-be-closing circus. Damiel follows her as she goes around the city, especially to a nightclub where Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are performing. While this is going on, Cassiel follows an older man who’s looking for a plaza in the city, and we’re also introduced to American actor Peter Falk who’s filming a WWII-focused movie set in Berlin. He seems to be able to sense the angels’ presence even though he can’t see them, and he has some encouraging words for Damiel. Will Damiel give up his immortality? What will happen to the trapeze lady? What’s the deal with Peter Falk? As always, I won’t give these aspects away, but I think you can get the idea of where it goes as you watch it.
Wings of Desire touches upon the classic notion of mortality versus immortality. Damiel and Cassiel have existed for eons, long before humanity and will continue to do so long after its extinction. However, unlike humans, angels cannot have any real experiences. Their world is colored in black and white, and they can’t experience emotions or organic senses, or more specifically, if they do start to feel them and “fall”, they will lose their angelic positions. Damiel seems to be longing for a life that humans are able to have, even knowing that he will eventually die in that mortal state. Sometimes people are willing to risk losing a position of great power, comfort, and/or legacy in order to pursue something more personally meaningful or to enrich an otherwise uninteresting life. It’s interesting that the filmmakers chose to use angels as a method for conveying this idea, as it has a certain precedent in the Judeo-Christian mythology. A concept in certain eras or versions of this religion is the idea that angels can lose their status and become human if they become tempted by humanity. In some cultures, it was part of why women had to cover their hair/heads, as the angels might be swayed by their beauty or something of that nature. Interestingly, something similar happens here, with Damiel falling in love with the trapeze artist, but the film doesn’t put a negative judgement upon Damiel for his wants, rather it just shows the pros and cons of the situation and allows things to progress naturally. Yes, angels might be tempted down to Earth sometimes, but is it always a bad thing? Who’s to say? Everyone has the right to live a life that they so choose (within reason, anyway). Peter Falk certainly seems to think so. Anyway, in addition to this core idea, another interesting aspect of this film is that a lot of the spoken word is presented internally rather than externally. As Damiel and Cassiel roam around Berlin and observe people, we see that they have the ability to hear people’s thoughts, which are expressed through monologue, and these monologues make up the majority of the film’s verbiage. This both allows us to get a look at what is going on behind the many faces that we see throughout the film and helps us relate more to the angels as we get to experience what it’s like living as one of them. Adding to this latter point is the fact that, as stated, their point of view is shown to be black and white, but when we switch to seeing things from a human perspective, the film changes from this monochromatic look to one rich in color. Now, the thing about choices such as these, and especially the “monologuing” element, is that they could be very polarizing for the audience, depending on individual tastes. Some might find that it adds to the film and gives a unique richness to the viewing experience, but others might just as easily find it pretentious and wankery, and personally I found myself a tad on the fence about it. On the whole, I felt that the film still came across rather well, but I did find myself pondering over some of the film’s choices and wondering if it really worked as well as it could have. Some of Peter Falk’s actions in this film act as a good example of this, namely his “conversation” with Damiel. Some might watch that scene and see it as positive and life-affirming, but I have to admit that, while I think those elements are there, it also came across a bit hokey to some degree. Another instance came during the trapeze lady’s final scene, in which she externally monologues about something that I won’t give away. The way in which this scene and her delivery came across might be seen by some as very perceptive and in-touch, but I couldn’t help but feel that it came across as a bit heavy-handed. Actually, that’s a good way to describe how this film comes across sometimes. The concepts, the presentation, the delivery, it can all come across as though the film is laying things on rather thickly, but I think this is ultimately going to come down to individual interpretations. And like I said, I still found the film to be engaging overall, even when I questioned some of the presentational choices. I think Wings of Desire is a very good film for those that enjoy both existential themes as well as those that just enjoy the human experience and what that experience truly means. Plus, it is neat to see Columbo in a German art-house film. Oh, before I close out, I wanted to mention a cool little element that I noticed. Since this is a German film set in Berlin, it would stand to reason that most of the characters would speak German, and for the most part that is true, but I noticed that there was actually a good number of other languages spread throughout the film as well, such as English, French, Spanish, and even Turkish among others. I found this fascinating, as you’d probably expect a cast made of folks that speak separate languages would face the inevitable dubbing process, as was done in many Italian films over the years, but this film just allows the players to speak in whatever language they know best (with, of course, subtitling for different markets). I found that to be rather commendable in a way, and maybe even added to the overall idea, that being that humanity is made of many different people with different backgrounds going through different things, but we’re all connected by our shared human experience.
So, I found Wings of Desire to be a fascinating watch and I definitely think that you should see it at least once. I must admit that I’m relatively new to German cinema, so I might need to become more acclimated to their style over time. But hey, this just means that there might be more opportunities for German films on the blog in the future too. Keep an eye out for that other Wim Wenders film I mentioned, as I do intend to cover it sooner or later. But for now, spread your Wings of Desire and spend some time with the angels, those folks could use a little company, I’m sure.