Alright, strap yourselves in for this one: it’s a little weird, but it’s one of my favorite movies ever.
Wings of Desire is a German movie directed by Wim Wenders set in East Berlin just after the second world war. The movie follows two angels, both immortal, who fly over the city and spectate the lives of all the citizens they see. While the Angels can not directly interact with the people of our world, they can influence their thoughts and state of mind to a certain limit.

In this specific post, I will spare the reader (you) from a long, unnecessary exposition of the plot of Wings of Desire, for what happens in the film isn’t exactly important, for what the characters feel is truly important. From the beginning of the movie, the first angel Daniel expresses disdain at his situation, longing to become human himself. His companion Cassiel doesn’t understand Daniel’s reasoning. He has seen millions of lives go past him, all focused on different things. Some selfish, some generous, but all suffer to some degree. Daniel of course does not relent, and still longs to once actually feel the thrill of humanity rather than just being condemned to eternally observing it.

This movie turns a very common hypothetical question upside down. While you may have heard the question, “would you want to be immortal?”, the question is rarely asked the other way around. Wings of Desire begs the question, “Would you trade immortality for the feeling of humanity?” This is Daniel’s main dilemma throughout the film, and one which we never find a true answer. Just as the theme of the film implies, we don’t find an answer in the film because there can be no definitive answer. Being human has no set rules. Our lives are filled with insurmountable uncertainty and strife. Death, sadness, and despair importunately knock on all of our doors and eventually find us all. On the other side, life cultivates as much hope, love, and happiness as it does negativity.

Just as we humans do, Daniel eventually falls in love with one of the citizens of the city, and (through some miracle) turns himself human. Contrastingly, Cassiel is seen roaming around the broken city of East Berlin. He sees car crash victims, poverty ridden families, lost old men, and young men driven to suicide. As he tries to help, his incorporeal nature is not enough to prevent most of these tragedies.

While I can describe the film’s general theme’s of humanity vs immortality and the importance of being human, I cannot adequately describe the impact, visuals, and storytelling of the actual film. For the cinematic aspect alone, you must watch Wings of Desire. A newfound sense of contentless and appreciation for being human are merely a happy side-effect.