Faraway, So Close! – An Angel’s Inquisitive Ponder

There’s something uniquely odd about German films, don’t you think? “Faraway, So Close!” directed by the great Wim Wenders is a perfect kaleidoscope of the surreal and the mystical tuggning at your heartstrings. It’s like watching the northern lights dance across the sky on a chilly winter night in Kiruna—it leaves you mesmerized but a tad confused, wondering if you really understood what just unfolded before your eyes.

I remember seeing it back in ’93 during the Göteborg Film Festival—oh, the nightlife then, like a scene out of a Bergman flick, minus the existential dread. The renowned actors—Otto Sander, who, if I’m being honest, wears his angel wings better than most mortals could imagine, and then there’s Bruno Ganz, who’s always perfect at being gravely yet charmingly introspective. Petty about Peter Falk having a smaller role this time though; his appearances in film always carry a comforting familiarity.

And the music! It’s like a playlist from a Svenska sommarstuga—beautifully arranged, yet with that touch of melancholy that only a rainy day in Stockholm can bring. But—I can’t help feeling maybe the film tries too hard sometimes. Like a delicious smorgasbord, too many flavors can occasionally muddle your palette. The film’s existential queries are vast, almost like it wants to find answers to life as if it was Gösta Ekman chasing unseen truths on the archipelago’s edge.

I was thinking about how we all navigate our roles on this planet, sometimes like guardians looking in from afar, much like the angels here. The film grapples with human longings, the wish to feel life raw and unedited. You feel a sense of longing, don your metaphorical wings, and peer through the veil between life and what lies beyond.

For those pondering the cosmos over the confines of a simple fika, this film’s a cinematic deep-dive. But be prepared; it might leave you as contemplative as a late-night walk on Södermalm, maybe with a touch more cosmic uncertainty.

Check the trailer below