Hollywood takes the best and converts it into a mash so even the mentally challenged can enjoy it. A noble act of social service. Having watched the rather standard mushy remake "City of Angels", watching Wings of Desire was truly an uplifting experience. It is poetic. Slow and meandering. A patient walk through emotions.
The movie seems to start in black and white. Only later do we realize that this is the angel's perception of the world. Colourless. Also lacking the ability to enjoy any sensory pleasures. The angels are invisible, only silent observers to the world. They move around humans listening to thoughts and watching human drama unfold. Once in a while they 'touch' a human, comforting it.
We follow two angels (Damiel and Cassily). Wise and mature. Reflecting on the world. On the past. One falling in love with a trapeze artist and wanting to be human. The other emotionless but we can sense its hidden frustration. And interspersed with all of this are thoughts, of an old man recalling the holocaust, a young man contemplating suicide and others. Amongst all the beautiful imagery, there is poetry. The subtitles in English can move you, so I can only imagine that the original lines in German would have been special.
"When the child was a child, it was the time of these questions. Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did time begin, and where does space end? Isn't life under the sun just a dream? Isn't what I see, hear, and smell just the mirage of a world before the world? Does evil actually exist, and are there people who are really evil? How can it be that I, who am I, wasn't before I was, and that sometime I, the one I am, no longer will be the one I am? "The movie is special. A take on war. On boundaries. And even if the movie teaches nothing, it is truly a creative spectacle of image, poetry and sound.
Rating - 8/10
1 comment:
Martin's way of disagreement
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