Name: Wings of Desire
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 1987-09-23
Duration: 128 min
Rating: 8.6
Cast: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk

1987·Drama·2h 8m

8.6

★

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds — with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk — that it might be possible for him to take human form.

Directed by Wim Wenders

berlin, germany

dreams

library

circus

angel

berlin wall

immortality

observer

melancholy

black and white

perception

thoughtful

mortality

understated

dramatic

sentimental

adoring

ambiguous

celebratory

tragic

Rank

#1 in 1987·#204 overall

Trailer

IMDB

N/A

Where to Watch

Cast

Bruno Ganz

Damiel

Solveig Dommartin

Marion

Otto Sander

Cassiel

Curt Bois

Homer

Peter Falk

The Filmstar

Hans Martin Stier

The Dying Man

Beatrice Manowski

Young Prostitute

Chick Ortega

The Drummer

Teresa Harder

In the Library - The Angel

Jürgen Heinrich

In the Old Apartments

Annelinde Gerstl

On the Highway

Mick Harvey

Crime and The City Solution / Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Crew

Wim Wenders

Director

Wim Wenders

Screenplay

Henri Alekan

Director of Photography

Anatole Dauman

Producer

Wim Wenders

Producer

Claire Denis

First Assistant Director

Andrei Tarkovsky

In Memory Of

Pascale Dauman

Associate Producer

Jean-Paul Mugel

Sound

Yasujirō Ozu

In Memory Of

Chris Sievernich

Production Consultant

Pascale Dauman

Production Consultant

Popular Reviews

1268 reviews

Gianni

8.0★ · 02/02/26

80/100
maybe it's a bit pretentious considering it was already made in the 80s and some points are overly metaphorical and complicated. The cinematography was amazing however and I loved the themes and the dialogues (even if some of them felt redundant at times). The score was great as well and so was Bruno Ganzo.
Needed a cinema to watch this without falling asleep and getting distracted lol

polina

9.0★ · 03/28/25

seeing this film makes you want to live. furthermore, this film is a mirror of life. It is a search for a strange attract in the chaotic, unhurried, and pointless cycle of existence, exploring it literally through the perspective of an angel who is bound to eternity but unable to live a full life. this concept reminded me of 'enter the void'; in both films, the main protagonists have only their own spirit and thoughts, but they are physically missing, prevented of the opportunity to feel and be seen.> as with all the Wim Wenders films I've seen, this one becomes one of the most beautiful films I've watched. jumping between black and white and color shots is one of my favorite visual film techniques, and each time it happens, I feel like my eyes are being blessed. I already want to get back to it, and I'm pretty sure that my rating will increase on the second watch. I'm in love with every aspect of this film.

Sam Bam

10.0★ · 04/30/26

Was having a bit of a rough day and this was the perfect reminder of how important it is to simply "experience". You can't just watch strangers from the sky and think,

"Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there?"

you gotta move, with purpose or drive.

“Riding a bicycle with no hands. The beautiful stranger. My father. My mother. My wife. My child.”

-Thank you very much for this goated film Mr. Winders👍

Was having a bit of a rough day and this was the perfect reminder of how important it is to simply "experience". You can't just watch strangers from the sky and think,

"Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there?"

you gotta move, with purpose or drive.

“Riding a bicycle with no hands. The beautiful stranger. My father. My mother. My wife. My child.”

-Thank you very much for this goated film Mr. Winders👍

Drew Cook

8.0★ · 04/12/26

Beautiful movie about how we live our lives, how our thoughts affect us, and what we do with those things.

It might go up after a few days from this four.

The color switch from angels to humans is actually unbelievable and something I don't think I've seen before.

The use of color to depict liveliness, hope, emotion and then framing it alongside Damielle's yearning is elite storytelling.

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?

Awesome movie. Like a 4.2.

bunapii

9.0★ · 04/03/26

“i couldn’t say who i am. i don’t have the slightest idea. i have no roots, no story, no country, and i like it that way. i’m here. i’m free. i can imagine anything. everything’s possible. i only have to lift my eyes and once again i become the world. now, on this very spot, a feeling of happiness that i could keep forever.”