Somehow wildly different from its predecessor in story and tone but still holds this immense weight and beauty that is just as impactful. While I long to see and hold the imperfect perfection of simply being human like Damiel seems to in Wings of Desire, I felt much better represented by Cassiel in Faraway, so Close! - the confusion of it all, a brief stint with alcoholism, easily led astray despite the best intentions, after each interaction or attempt at living life being left with the question why can I not do this? Why can’t I be a man? It all feels so isolated, everything beyond the now feels inaccessible, things unseen feel unreal, things incorporeal feel impossible; and yet you long for them, you long to be seen and heard by something, anything.
Of course the plot is wild and sometimes janky and ill-fitting, but the trapeze heist of guns? Cassiel flying on bungee cords? Peter Falk? watching lou reed song-writing at home? bringing your friend his first ever piece of food (a stuffed olive)? it’s so fun and funny and light and beautiful and joyous it’s hard to get bogged down in it. And the simplicity in Cassiel’s transformation was one of the most moving and impactful scenes across both of these films for me.
Also I am so entranced by Bruno Ganz he just has that something something about him I bet he really did use to be an angel and this was one big gag for him. Anyway, five stars not because it’s a perfect thing but because it makes me want to live… and it has willem dafoe in it.
Somehow wildly different from its predecessor in story and tone but still holds this immense weight and beauty that is just as impactful. While I long to see and hold the imperfect perfection of simply being human like Damiel seems to in Wings of Desire, I felt much better represented by Cassiel in Faraway, so Close! - the confusion of it all, a brief stint with alcoholism, easily led astray despite the best intentions, after each interaction or attempt at living life being left with the question why can I not do this? Why can’t I be a man? It all feels so isolated, everything beyond the now feels inaccessible, things unseen feel unreal, things incorporeal feel impossible; and yet you long for them, you long to be seen and heard by something, anything.
Of course the plot is wild and sometimes janky and ill-fitting, but the trapeze heist of guns? Cassiel flying on bungee cords? Peter Falk? watching lou reed song-writing at home? bringing your friend his first ever piece of food (a stuffed olive)? it’s so fun and funny and light and beautiful and joyous it’s hard to get bogged down in it. And the simplicity in Cassiel’s transformation was one of the most moving and impactful scenes across both of these films for me.
Also I am so entranced by Bruno Ganz he just has that something something about him I bet he really did use to be an angel and this was one big gag for him. Anyway, five stars not because it’s a perfect thing but because it makes me want to live… and it has willem dafoe in it.
