Slow and contemplative and very captivating. These characters are really nice to be around and the film's relaxed atmosphere is good for sitting back and thinking about life.

Excellently understated and subdued road movie where the silences mean more than the sparse dialogue.

294

#307

A 3 hour road movie is something not many people will commit themselves to - a German one is something most people wouldn't even consider. Wenders' direction is brilliant and the cinematography is beautiful - a must for any road movie.The characterisation of the titular characters is phenomenal. It was really great to watch these two men come together, become friends and then part ways.

i'd rather watch that Mariah Carey movie

Too long by far but with some really intriguing moments. Thematically, it jumps around a lot... in a way, it's as restless as its protagonists. Rudiger Vogeler is very watchable as Bruno, all laid-back cool and charm. Robert is a less compelling character, although a more nuanced one. The film has a lot of empty space, both narratively and geographically. Sometimes it evokes a mood and sometimes it falls flat. For the most part, the film is satisfying if not quite my cup of tea.

An excellent early Wim Wenders movie. Great acting, dialogue (although there's not much of it, all of it is good), framing and use of spaces -- both confined ones and open ones. The movie manages to make points about love, loneliness, restlessness, desire for freedom, the Americanization of German culture, and much more. 170 minutes gets to be a bit too long for my impatient mind, but there's no specific part I'd definitely cut out given the chance.

# 284

The best (and last) of his German road films trilogy, it's both intimate and monumental, the culmination of his interest in alienation and human relationships, and a sneakily moving experience. Basically it's the story of people who try but can't connect to each other, always telling stories when the other one's not listening, having transient, fleeting relationships with passengers that quickly leave off (or kill themselves). It's very much like Antonioni, but with a bigger heart.

Intriguing on the whole, but the very little that happens in this 3-hour long road movie, while interesting, is just not exciting or insightful enough to cover up for the general boredom. I hope I didn't contradict myself too much. I can dig the comparison to Antonioni because of the sparsity and all, but it just doesn't sweep one off one's feet the way Antonioni films do, it doesn't have their flair or their wisdom.

268

Modestly comic, compassionate and tragic. Reminiscent of how Jarmusch emphazise silence in his meditations on human behaviour and interaction, Wenders let the mise-en-scène, framing and editing do the talking. This is some attentive and elegant stuff by a director with an earnest if somewhat subdued empathy towards his lonely characters, suggesting their quiet turmoil in the face of the overwhelming difficulty of communication.