Müpa Film Club
Faraway, So Close! (In weiter Ferne, so nah!, 1993)
Fates from the density of new German cinema
If you have already seen Wim Wenders' film Wings of Desire (1987), you will surely be curious about how they could make a sequel, given that this isn't some comic book film where our heroes simply get mixed up in one caper after another. Mind you, there is no doubt that our heroes - both angels and humans - do get mixed up in some new adventures, but the world is much changed. Especially in Berlin. The Wall has fallen, for example. So here we are, without it. Gorbachev is no longer the General Secretary, Willy Brandt is dead. Different times.
One notable theme in Faraway, So Close! is the poetic reflection on the nature of time. Indeed, one of the most notable characters, Emit Flesti (Willem Dafoe), is the human embodiment of time, as his name read backwards suggests: time itself. The sophisticated philosophising, however, is constantly interrupted by the reality of time. Aging, growing up. The era. And history, too, which throws up strange and frightening things. Past time, the unwashed footprints of which steal into the present. History. If history even exists, now, given that Fukuyama's famous essay about the end of history had been published the previous year. Once again, Wim Wenders uses a mix of real and fictional characters in his story. Gorbachev and Peter Falk are just as real as Lou Reed, though in a slightly sneakier move, the cinematographer from Wings of Desire also pops up as the captain of a ship. One genuine surprise is the moment Faraway, So Close! turns into an action film. Though even the action film segment focuses on the idea of cooperation between people and creatures of different origins and roots. The film was loved by the jury at Cannes, but less so by critics. Let's watch it, let's talk about it!
Director: Wim Wenders
Host: András Réz
Presented by: Müpa Budapest
