David Godwin - Wings of Desire - (In-class movie #5)

This past week we watched the film Wings of Desire. The movie presented an interesting distinction between angels and men. Angels, according to this film, have not story because they exist outside of time and outside of need. The angels can watch humankind, and can even affect their lives, but they themselves could not be affected. They had emotions, yes, but they felt no needs. They pitied the people they observed, or fell in love, or laughed at them, but they could never really have relationship with them as long as they remained outside of time. The angel, Damiel, decides to give up his place in infinite time, and when he does it is as if time begins for the first time in the movie. He is searching for the trapeze artist that he has fallen in love with, and the audience finally has a specific goal to look forward to. It’s interesting that the film does not really have a story or plot itself, until Damiel breaks into the world and becomes man. As soon as he does, we feel the suspense of his journey, and we are hoping that he finds the woman he loves.
Our life is like this. We look forward to things; we have goals; we make plans; we have fears and worries. It’s all because we exist within time and know that we have an end. Without time we would have no reason for goals, thus we would have no place between a beginning and end within a story. This film made me realize what a gift time is. Although it may feel like I have no time, at least I have that feeling. The feeling was given to me so that I can exist within my own story and make something of today, a gift that even the angels do not have. Like in the film, our life is vibrant with color when we experience life in the infinitude of our human bodies. However, the realm of the angels is gray, distant from the vibrancy of life, because life means nothing to them without death.