Defending Wings of Desire

After reading a few of the blog posts I felt the need to focus mine on defending this film. I suppose you could call me a super pretentious film goer because I love foreign and independent movies that are the opposite of big budget Hollywood movies due to the fact that they don't rely on explosions or big name actors to distract the viewer from a lack of plot or substance.

Before I start I'll acknowledge that Wings of Desire is definitely not a "popcorn" flick. It's more of your meat and potatoes kind of movie. The kind of film that if you let it can be fulfilling, wholesome, and potentially something that will change your outlook on the world. If you're not used to seeing movies that go at a slow pace, then you're going to have some serious growing pains, especially with Wings of Desire.

This movie is one of my favorite films of all time because of the methodical nature. During the black and white phase we slowly but sure begin to understand that life as an angel is somewhat lacking when compared to life as a human. There is never a long lasting human connection whether it be physically or emotionally. We see angles as our guardians who want not and need not. However, through this unique perspective we see that Damiel is dying to experience something more and finally gets to when he "falls" and becomes human. Only then can he fully experience what he has been looking at since the beginning of time.

For me, this is just a beautiful film, from the cinematography, to the story line, to the writing, to Nick Cave. If this movie doesn't appeal to you, I'd encourage you to go back and watch more foreign and independent films because you might not like it because it's something new and different. It might just take a few experiences for you to begin to appreciate the things that these movies are trying to say. There is substance in any work of art, sometimes you just need to look at it from a different angle in order to understand it.