1988's Wings of Desire was an excellent example of a true "art film",
with the medium of cinema used as a canvas by a director (Wim Wenders, in this
case). Wings of Desire was a provocative, evocative look at life, love,
and humanity that was at times spiritually elevating. At the conclusion of the
movie, we were promised a sequel, but it has taken six years for the next
chapter, Faraway, So Close! to begin creeping its away across U.S.
screens.
As Faraway, So Close! opens, Cassiel (Otto Sander) is still an angel,
gazing down on humanity in the company of the equally celestial Raphaela
(Nastassja Kinski). He doesn't keep his wings for long, however, as he allows
himself to become human to save the life of a girl who has fallen from a
high-rise balcony. Cassiel is quickly reunited with former angel Damiel (Bruno
Ganz), who now has a family and is running a pizza parlor. But the transition
from immortal to human isn't as easy for Cassiel as it was for his friend, and
he soon becomes involved with an underworld kingpin (Horst Buchholz). Meanwhile,
a mysterious entity by the name of Emit Flesti (Willem Dafoe -- spell the
character's name backwards) stalks Cassiel.
Faraway, So Close! begins very much as Wings of Desire did,
with a pair of angels watching the lives of various mortals. Whereas this
portion of the first movie made up the bulk of the running time, in the sequel,
it's merely a prologue. Before the first half-hour is up, Cassiel has become
human and we're watching as he struggles to comprehend what has happened to him.
As Wings was Damiel's story, so Faraway is Cassiel's. Unlike
its predecessor, this is not a light, mystical romance, but a somewhat muddled
narrative that ends up resembling an offbeat action/adventure movie. It's still
a film about issues -- humanity, the soul, time, and Nazism -- but it lacks many
of the "art" aspect of Wings, relying more on straightforward
storytelling.
There's a lot about the climactic struggle that doesn't work. Even though we
aren't given a heavy dose of Hollywood-type violence, the sequence seems wrong
not only for the film, but for the series as a whole. Anyone watching the
beginning of Wings will find it difficult to come to grips with this as
the story's culmination.
The cast is excellent. It's nice to see Bruno Ganz and Solveig Dommartin
(Marion) together again, although their importance is greatly reduced from
Wings. Obviously, Otto Sander has the most difficult role, and he carries
it out impeccably. Peter Falk is back as a somewhat satirized version of
himself, and Lou Reed and Mikhail Gorbachev make cameos. Horst Buchholz plays
his role as the American-type gangster with relish, and Willem Dafoe is suitably
creepy in an ambiguous, and largely-unexplained, part.
About the only thing I can say regarding a recommendation is that a viewing
of Wings of Desire is almost mandatory before seeing Faraway, So
Close! Going into this film without the background of its predecessor will
leave a movie-goer adrift and confused. On the other hand, sitting through
Wings of Desire doesn't guarantee enjoyment of the sequel (in fact, many
fans of the first will probably be sorely disappointed by the turn that this
script takes), but going cold into Faraway, So Close! will almost
certainly lead to a negative reaction.
© 1994 James Berardinelli
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