Road movies, partly motivated by US’ sprawling
highway network and neon-lit motels, and partly by the possibilities of
existential meditations, formed the most definitive aspect of Wenders’
filmography. The Wrong Move was the
middle chapter in his famed ‘Road Movie
Trilogy’ – it was preceded by the fascinating Alice in the Cities and was followed by the powerful Kings of the Road. This made-for-TV film
was also the most curious, overly philosophical and experimental of the lot (also
the only one filmed in colour), even if it never reached the breathtaking
beauty of the two that this was sandwiched by, thus making it the least watched
of the trio. Wilhelm (Rüdiger Vogler), the depressive, uncommunicative and
directionless protagonist suffering from a deep sense of existential and
identity crisis, wants to be a writer, but hasn’t managed to translate his
thoughts into something tangible. Realizing that he’s become akin to a frog in
a well, he decides to plunge into a randomly chosen trip across West Germany in
search of meaning and truth. He’s joined in his wanderings by an equally weird
and drifting group of fellow travelers – Therese (Hanna Schygulla), an alluring
but deeply lonely movie actress, Laertes (Hans-Christian Blech), an ageing
hippie-like street musician, Mignon (Nastassja Kinski), a young and mute juggler
of ambiguous sexuality, and Landau (Peter Kean), a sensitive poet of rather
limited talents. The bleak tone, rambling narrative and deliberately disjointed
interactions between the oddball characters, along with the underlying thematic
strand of regrets, ennui, confusion and aimlessness, made this a dense,
aesthetically challenging and confounding watch – striking and off-kilter in
some parts while dry and self-conscious in others.
Director: Wim Wenders
Genre: Drama/Existential Drama/Road Movie
Language: German
Country: Germany
