Wings of Desire

Play trailer

Wings of Desire

PG-13

Released Jan 1, 1987

2h 8m

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Two angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds--with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk (playing himself) -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Beyond ravishing, Wings of Desire is Wim Wenders' is aching and heartbreaking exploration of how love makes us human.

Read Critics Reviews

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

To put it simply, Wings of Desire has a visual fascination but no animating force -- that’s part of why it’s being acclaimed as art.

Sep 15, 2023

Full Review

Joe Clay

Times (UK)

Wim Wenders’ astonishing, award-winning fantasy drama depicts life in a divided Berlin through the eyes of angels.

Jun 28, 2022

Full Review

Danny Leigh

Financial Times

If some restorations of classic films are mere spit and polish, this one is spectacular: a deepening and sharpening of existing beauty.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 23, 2022

Full Review

Charles Mudede

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

...utterly beautiful and provides a document for West Berlin just before the fall of the wall...

May 11, 2024

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

An example of the most inspired Wim Wenders. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 21, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

One of those rare motion pictures that manages to bring a true poetic sensibility to the medium of film.

Rated: 4/4

May 24, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Julian Rex M

One could (fallibly) argue that Wings of Desire suffers from slack pacing and an over-reliance on heavy-handed dialogue, but ultimately, Wim Wenders' elegantly photographed masterpiece captures the fundamental beauty of the flawed, obsessive, and incredibly loveable nature of the human condition.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

Full Review

Anonymous P

Haunting, magical and unforgettable, 'Der Himmel Über Berlin' is a fascinating, deep and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition and the meaning of life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

Full Review

Judith R

Hauntingly beautiful. We don’t talk and think about Angels enough.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/24

Full Review

Chuck D

A very endearing and human movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

helder f

This is a great movie. To a great extent, it's more of poem than a movie script. It is for that reason a bit difficult to follow. The English subtitles hardly connect with the dialogue/ monologue, in German and other languages. It's a constant and repetitive reminder of our existence… as the angels gain access to other people's thoughts. It' depicts humanity as frail in its existence, but interestingly it rarely echoes any thoughts of evil. The fragility depicted has to do with mundane worries, but also worries about life and love. The contrast to humans are these immaterial beings -possibly angels- who witness human thoughts. They don't need to guess, they know all, but cannot do much at least in the material realm. They cannot live, in essence, including living a love. It's not difficult to imagine that the movie is very interesting. . At the same time, the language becomes a barrier for sure. The movie is a bit tedious and repetitive at time. Possibly if one could understand the native language, it'd flow better but I suspect it'd still be a tad lifeless and tedious at times. Probably it could've been edited better. It was probably difficult to decide what to keep and what to edit out, as each scene had its own magic but it is a bit over-inclusive, long and repetitive.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Alyona

The most simple things were the charming one. and they still are.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Wim Wenders

Director

Bruno Ganz

Daniel

Solveig Dommartin

Marion

Otto Sander

Cassiel

Curt Bois

Homer

Peter Falk

Self

Paperhouse

100%

71%

Paperhouse

Watchlist

Prelude to a Kiss

63%

39%

Prelude to a Kiss

Watchlist

Mr. Destiny

35%

56%

Mr. Destiny

Watchlist

Cool World

4%

31%

Cool World

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Peter Falk: 1927-2011

Five Favorite Films with Rutger Hauer

"Shaun" Gang Warms Up for "Hot Fuzz"

View more photos

Synopsis

Two angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds--with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk (playing himself) -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.

Director: Wim Wenders
Producer: Anatole Dauman, Wim Wenders
Screenwriter: Wim Wenders, Peter Handke
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Argos Films
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1987, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $120.8K
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

Most Popular at Home Now