The Art School Starter Pack
If you have a teen who just discovered 35mm film or spends their time reading philosophy, this is their grail. It is the kind of movie that makes people want to move to Berlin and start a journal. The cinematography is legendary for a reason. The way the camera glides through walls and over the shoulders of people in libraries feels like a dream rather than a standard production. It is shot in black and white because that is how the angels see the world—detached and eternal—and it only bleeds into color when things get physical.
For a student of film or photography, every frame is a lesson. It is a visual feast that demands a large screen, which makes its availability on The Criterion Channel or HBO Max a high-value pick for a quiet Friday night.
The Remake Reality Check
Most people in the US know the general story because of the 90s remake starring Nicolas Cage. If you are revisiting City of Angels, you will find the DNA is the same, but the execution is worlds apart. Where the remake is a high-gloss romance, Wings of Desire is a poem about a city that was literally cut in half by the Berlin Wall.
It is less about the "boy meets girl" trope and more about the "celestial being meets a cup of coffee" trope. The angel does not just want love. He wants the weight of existence. He wants to feel cold, to bleed, and to experience the mundane reality of being a person who eventually dies.
The Boredom Factor is Real
Let’s be honest: for a viewer used to the rapid-fire editing of modern streaming hits, this is a slog. There is no inciting incident in the first ten minutes. There is no villain to defeat. As Roger Ebert noted, the film has the "patience of its angels," which is a polite way of saying it moves at the speed of a glacier.
If you watch it with a teen, focus on the eavesdropping. The angels hear the internal monologues of everyone they pass. It is a fascinating look at the private anxieties we all carry. For a generation that grew up with the "main character energy" of social media, seeing the world through the eyes of a silent, invisible observer is an interesting pivot.
Why It Hits Different Now
Watching this in 2026 feels like looking at a lost civilization. It is a time capsule of Cold War Berlin, full of grit and history that no longer exists in the same way. It captures a specific kind of loneliness that feels very modern despite the 80s aesthetic. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes give it a 95% because it is a rare film that treats the audience like they have a brain. It does not over-explain. It just lets you sit in the silence and think about what it actually means to be alive.
If your kid can handle the subtitles and the slow burn, it is a masterclass in empathy. Just don't expect them to stay awake if they are looking for an action movie. This is a film for the "late night and a rainy window" mood.
