Wenders Is Fallen Angel In `Wings Of Desire' Sequel

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XX "Faraway, So Close!," with Otto Sander, Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, Willem Dafoe, Nastassja Kinski. Directed by Wim Wenders, from a screenplay by Wenders, Richard Reitinger and Ulrich Zieger. In English and German with English subtitles. Varsity. "PG-13" - Parental guidance strongly suggested because of mature subject matter.

The more one thinks about Wim Wenders' "Faraway, So Close!," the more frustrating and disappointing it becomes. In attempting to recapture the poetic majesty of Wenders' triumphant 1988 film "Wings of Desire," one consistently feels a nagging insecurity on the part of a director who is striving desperately to make lightning strike twice.

It's a futile effort, and although Wenders continues to be one of the most intriguing, exploratory filmmakers on the global scene, he seems cast adrift on an existential sea, floating fascinating messages in bottles that only a lucky few will find, much less comprehend.

That's the same sense one got from Wenders' previous film, "Until the End of the World," which seems almost masterfully coherent compared to this meandering rumination. More of a deflated remake than a sequel, the film picks up where "Wings of Desire" left off, with the angel Cassiel (Otto Sander) surveying the radically changed city of Berlin from the Angel of Victory tower, lamenting his role as a detached observer of humanity and wishing to join his fellow angel Damiel (Bruno Ganz) among the city's living.

Disjointed digressions

He achieves this goal with a life-saving gesture, and by doing so turns the film's monochrome hues to color (and back again, whenever angelic black and white is called for). And so begins a seemingly random succession of disjointed digressions, during which Cassiel encounters an aged chauffeur (Heinz Ruhmann) whose perspective on the Nazi era bears some enigmatic significance; a rambling philosopher (Willem Dafoe) who spouts all varieties of doom-laden nonsense; and deadpan rocker Lou Reed, whose appearance serves no apparent purpose whatsoever.

As Damiel supports his happy family by running a pizzeria, Cassiel roams Berlin and eventually joins some kind of underground revolution while another angel (Nastassja Kinski) remains a passive occasional onlooker. By the time Peter Falk appears to reprise his role (as himself) from "Wings of Desire," most viewers will neither know or care about whatever Wenders is trying to express.

A visit from Mikhail

It all has something to do with the world's need to unify itself and reverse a trend toward social deterioration, and even Mikhail Gorbachev (in his "acting" debut) pops in to offer his thoughts on the subject.

But whatever clarity Wenders sought is lost in his gratingly unfocused script, which utterly lacks the poetic grace of "Wings of Desire." There are fleeting moments of humor and charm, and as always Wenders composes an ever-moving flow of captivating images, courtesy of cinematographer Jurgen Jurges (replacing retired master Henri Alekan, who appears in a small role).

Trimmed from 164 to 140 minutes after playing the international festival circuit, "Faraway, So Close!" is not without its enticing qualities, and if nothing else it will provoke some interesting coffehouse discussion. But when held to the light of its predecessor, one can't help but think it's pointlessly redundant.