Far Away, So Close!, 1993

This is the follow-up, maybe you could call it a sequel, to the marvelous and extraordinary Berlin-based story called the "Wings of Desire" (1987) which remains well worth seeing. But this film, while it has its moments, suffers a severe case of following in a great film's footsteps and not matching its impact or artistry. As sometimes happens in the second film, what is ambiguous, artfully suggested in the original becomes over-explained and demystified in the spin-off, and that is what happens here. Or maybe the narrative unfolding was just fine, and I simply did not buy the turn of the story. They seem to feel they could take the original no further unless it became a sort of underwhelming catechism. Maybe the fact the first one was done before the Berlin Wall fell gave a certain longing and resonance to it, which this one does not know how to deal with since the wall is already several years gone when this one was made. I am otherwise not sure why it seems so different from "Wings" (the music, perhaps? for one thing?) but I am not sure if I would love it on its own anyway. Sorry these comments are all about a comparison, which can be irrelevant to some people. 11.09

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