Wings of desire: why am I me and why not you?

Wings of Desire, awful translation of the Germanic original Sky Over Berlin, is a magnificent movie. From the roof of the Gedächtniskirche church in the former East Berlin, a being we suspect is an angel (by a pair of soon-to-be-missed wings) looks at the city, beautiful, stony and gloomy.

The black-and-white photograph, bluish-gray, was a finding by the historical cinematographer Henri Alekan (from the classic The Beauty and the Beast of 1946) to show the views of the angels Damiel and Cassiel, who, from the earliest days of the planet, observe all but little interfere in the course of events, except, for example, some words in the ear of a suicidal, fruitless. The scenes seen by humans are colorful.

The movie flows with angelic tranquility, with the two immortal beings transiting through libraries, squares, monuments. The wings of the goddess Vitoria, a statue of Victory Column, Berlin's postcard, serve as a shelter for Damiel who decides to become a human being to, among other things, be able to feed the cat or take his feet out of the shoes under the table.

There are other striking characters in the film, who interact with the angels, such as the American actor Peter Falk who does not stand for: he is the eternal American detective, but, strangely, feels the presence of Damiel, interacts with him and still challenges him to rub his hands to warm them. There is also the poet Homer, a tribute to Rainer Maria Rilke, whose poetry inspired the film.

Finally, the trapeze artist Marion is the female presence, unstable, depressive. There is in her a pain that can be the same pain of loneliness that Damiel carries for eternity. When he becomes human and joins the beautiful aerialist, he experiences "the total astonishment caused by man and woman, a knowledge that no angel can attain".

When it ends, the movie promises a sequel, which would take place in 1993. For the viewer, who cannot avoid identify himself with the angels, there remain the stanzas of German playwright Peter Handke's poetry that speaks of children's questions: "Why am I me and why not you? Why am I here and why not there? "

#wenders #review