Wings of Desire (1987)

The passing of time has intensified the melancholy of this poignant 1987 study of angels living among us in a divided Berlin. The critic highlights its status as a bittersweet time capsule of metaphysics, love and great cinema.

The critic calls it an elusive, poetic vision of pre-Wall Berlin, an extraordinary haunting piece that prioritizes mood and ideas over plot. Loneliness pervades but the dialogue, Ganz's performance and Wenders' images offer hope.

Wim Wenders’ wistful romantic fantasy about angels in divided Berlin is re-released and reads as an elegiac city symphony. The critic praises its distinctive cinema of ideas and extraordinary sequences capturing the city.

The critic sees visual fascination in the angels' observations of fragmented Berlin lives but finds the film sluggish and lacking animating force. She singles out the halfhearted romance and the contrast between black-and-white spirituality and tawdry color sections as weaknesses.

The critic calls it a magnificent film of sublime beauty and contagious optimism. She singles out the poetry rooted in the commonplace, such as the crunch of an apple or lacing a child's shoe, that soars to the miraculous.

The critic finds loveliness in the film's conception of sad, sympathetic angels gliding through black-and-white Berlin. She singles out the angel Damiel's longing for corporeal sensation and human connection as the central impulse.

The critic describes the film as part romance, part comedy and part philosophical meditation on angels eavesdropping on human thoughts in divided Berlin. It praises the hypnotic images by Henri Alekan and the way the poetic script becomes pure cinematic expression, calling the film rich, intriguing and ambitious though perhaps not quite a masterpiece.

The critic finds it a sublimely beautiful, deeply romantic film and a quintessential Wenders work. She singles out Henri Alekan’s gliding camera work as a visual joy that serves as a valentine to the city of Berlin.

The critic calls Wings of Desire a masterful work and a Criterion-worthy classic that illuminates the sublime in everyday existence. They single out its poetic exploration of the tension between spirit and flesh, and the small, trivial details that make life worth living.

The critic praises the film as a touching fable about angels observing humanity and a lyrical tone poem on isolation and connection. They single out its insightful handling of mortality, spirituality, and great cinematography that rewards repeat viewings.