"Faraway, So Close!" is the highly anticipated sequel to Wim Wenders' 1987 masterpiece "Wings of Desire" about angels, humans and all the crazy things that happen between the two. This film focuses on the 2nd angel "Cassiel" (Otto Sander) who is the darker of the two. And in that respect, it explores the dirty underside of the angel-human transformation which was absent from the first film focusing on love.
Even in the first film we saw hints of Cassiel's darker side--and when I say "darker" I don't necessarily mean "evil" but rather a sadder and more tragic outlook, as he is profoundly affected, and at times infected, by humankind's hopelessness. Cassiel is the angel who loses his way.
The film begins masterfully, poetically, and gorgeously shot with long, graceful shots that flow omnisciently through the events that introduce the story. This continues through the first half up to Cassiel's transformation. Then the entire tone of the film changes. Fittingly, once he becomes human, the visual style becomes more realistic and grounded. The overall theme itself also becomes more mundane--not as lofty and epic as the first half but instead more plot oriented. Herein lies my biggest criticism as my title implies...
Simply put: too much happens in such a short time. Even at 2 1/2 hours, the pacing is too fast without giving us time to digest the different subplots and interweaving themes that come into play. I counted at least 5 major subplots that spring up in addition to the central story of Cassiel wrestling with his sudden human form. We have: (1) A mysterious detective on the trail of a possible ex-Nazi; (2) A wealthy mafioso involved in violent exploits; (3) Damiel & Marion from the 1st movie raising their child as Marion wrestles with her frustration that Damiel is out of touch with reality; (4) A cryptic, pivotal charater named Konrad who lives in a junk yard and has forgotten his past; and a huge subplot which could've been a film unto itself: (5) A strange supernatural being (Willem Dafoe) who is able to cross between the 2 worlds of angels & humans and who has a distinctly malicious air about him.
There are even more subplots featuring Natassja Kinski, Lou Reed, Peter Falk, all of which are very compelling. But maybe you're starting to catch my drift. "Faraway, So Close!" really should've been a season-long tv series, or perhaps a 2- or 3-part movie itself. There really is a lot happening, and none of it should be cut. Therefore it should've been longer.
As it stands, this film is a great experience, but it may leave you frustrated as if you just watched all 9 seasons of "Touched by an Angel" crammed into 2 1/2 hours. Still, it's well worth seeing (and quite rare to find) so if you get a chance, grab it and enjoy.
