Wings of Desire

Wings of Desire observes what it means to be human; like Blade Runner, there are humanoid beings, physically identical and behaviorally similar, who gaze at human existence and long for the experience they cannot achieve. The angels in Wings of Desire have a seemingly meaningless existence; they are commanded strictly to "assemble, testify, and preserve." While the extra-human existence seems higher than our own, observing the angels in these films seems to suggest that humans live the fuller lives, despite (or perhaps because) of our mortality and pain. Two angels explain how their existence has been largely shaped and centered around humans; it was from humans that they learned to laugh, learned conversation, and it is humans whom the angels' entire purpose is based upon. As Damiel looks at humans, he longs to feel the effects of time passing, of forces weighing upon him, of confusion and wonder and the unknown. Damiel echoes this desire: "I've been on the outside long enough...absent long enough."

In Damiel's transformation, there is powerful symbolism. His fellow angel, Cassiel, carries him through from the white-washed, patrolled wall to the colorful, bustling existence on the other side. As Damiel lies on the ground, the armor Marion imagined him in falls from the heavens. This armor, a symbol of his former invincibility hits him and he begins to bleed, showing his new vulnerability. As he begins to walk and experience the world around him in his human body, we repeats the poem he had been reciting throughout the film, but it changes ever so slightly. Rather than continuing the pattern of reflection on past events, he begins to say "when a child...and still is" as he begins to experience in the present and feel continuation.

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