Falsche Bewegung

"The Wrong Move" is essentially a plot less film about loneliness that follows a late twenty-ish year old, blond German writer-to-be for six days. He is someone who is in search of something. The film is in German with English subtitles and is unusual in that there are occasional first person voice over/commentaries by the principal character by which we know exactly what he is thinking. The film is set in the early 70's with a short audio track of American rock that dates the movie. Through his first person commentary, the writer freely admits that he is not very good at observing people nor does he like people, which leads one to wonder what kind of writer is he? Because "The Wrong Move" is a Wim Wender's film, one inevitably notices the carefully composed shots with meticulous attention to detail. This brief odyssey is a more sophisticated version of candid camera in which the confused writer encounters a handful of people. The film, then, is about his interactions with these people. These characters appear randomly, interact, and disperse.

This is probably Nastassja Kinski's first film. If not, then the likelihood of ever watching whatever preceded "The Wrong Move" is close to zero. Long out of print, "The Wrong Move" was only available on scarce, hard to find VHS tape that can be exorbitant in cost, but now is one of eight DVD's in the Wim Wenders Collection Vol 2. It is extremely unfortunate that the DVD has been enhanced for pseudo wide screen, meaning that the original 4:3 image has been chopped, losing some of the image of the original VHS tape. The film was low budget and has attained near cult following among some. Nastassja was a whole thirteen years old when "The Wrong Move" was filmed. This was the first of three films that she has made with Wim Wenders with the other two being: the legendary 1984 "Paris, Texas" and the powerful 1993 "Faraway, So Close." In "The Wrong Move," Nastassja is cast as a mute - meaning that she doesn't speak, has no lines of dialog, and doesn't use anything resembling sign language. Her on screen presence is then all facial expression and body language. In some scenes she looks like a scruffy, scrawny twenty year old.

Other times, she has the face of a twelve year old. Sometimes she is a well made up teenager. Sometimes not. But there are always the tennis shoes and the way that she walks that underscores that she is a very young adolescent girl. In the hands of Wim Wenders, her performance is fluid and natural. She and her much older male companion/guardian make their living with Nastassja as a street performer - one that is not highly skilled and in some respects awkward. That has to do more with her young age, rather than a lack of physical skills. Nastassja is a juggler and not a very good one as she usually drops one of the balls. One time she stands on her head, another time she does cart wheels. Eight years later in "Exposed" this gymnastic talent would be on full display in a very sexy, solo performance in front of an all seeing mirror. There is one particular memorable scene in which the writer and the band of strangers are walking through a neighborhood street, observing the interchanges between residents on the roof top of the buildings. The timing is exquisite, the look on Nastassja's face is memorable - but that is Wim Wenders and is an indication of the potential first rate talent in this thirteen year old girl. It is no accident that Nastassja is in so many scenes and some of those appearances are very brief. Even in nothing scenes in which she is not doing anything out of the ordinary, Nastassja is focused - not sleeping or bored. Peter Sykes, the director of "To the Devil...a Daughter," would later see "The Wrong Move," remember her, and later on in need of a young German actress would hire Nastassja.

It is all to easy to see "The Wrong Move" as a very superficial movie. Even the translation of the title presents a problem. Should it be "Wrong Movement?" "False Movement?" "wrong" and "false" imply that there is a "right" move or that one has strayed from the "right" path and is in search of it. Is there a "right" path? Is there a "wrong" path? What is the path? Does it make a difference? These are the types of questions that go to the core of the human experience. There is depth here, but only for those who can "see" into it.

Wenders' road movies of the 70s have a charm that makes them accessible to many viewers, yet are often linked by the less accessible themes of alienation and detachment. It is an interesting dichotomy and one that comes to focus with this film.

Political and cultural pre-determinism are not as easily digested outside the German point of view in the 70s, yet it is a common theme amongst Wenders films as well as (arguably) Herzog & Fassbinder (New German cinema contemporaries) . One does not have to be a philosophy or poli-sci major to enjoy this film however. The fact that Wrong Move is freely based on Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" is easily overlooked by the casual viewer - but if viewed as an allegorical narrative, like Goethe's work, parts of the film come together and make this obtuse, personal work by Wenders more interesting.

The characters Wilhelm (Rudiger Volger) meets during his trip represent ideological sensibilities of 70s Germany. Mignon played by the teen Nastassja Kinski represents the youth and future of Germany (mute, trusting yet undemanding). Laertes represents the idealism of old Germany, and considers himself a martyr for the Nazi cause. Wilhelm and Therese (Hanna Schygulla) are between these 2 and take action to liberate one from the other. All is told in an un-naturalistic style that only works in some cases. The long (almost single take) walk up the hillside by the river are a good example of where the film shines. The photography by Robby Müller is consistently excellent here.

It's a difficult film but rewarding to those who take time to understand it from it's original historical and ideological context. Worth seeing for the cinematography of Müller and the presence of Hanna Schygulla and Nastassja Kinski.

Wim Wenders and writer Peter Handke team up a decade before "Berurin Tenshi no Uta" Wings of desire (1987)(Ailes du desir) and 4 decades before The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez (2016) based on Peter's play in French to premiere at Cannes this month.

It is shorter and simpler than Wings of Desire and it feels as though the whole movie is almost one take, one moment, one long reflection on the same theme of loss and loneliness, perhaps longing and love. It is poetic and philosophical, but also human. It succeeds in asking tough questions and not given easy answers. It understands human complexity and perhaps perplexity facing an uncontrollable, sometimes unsatisfying life.

Momentary solace and camaraderie soon dissolves as things fall apart naturally, casually and necessarily. Much more down to Earth than somehow esoteric Wings of Desire and has a direct impact on the viewer even if often dark and detached beyond the light-hearted and hypnotic beginning.

A interesting find, and perhaps one of the best movies of 1975, winning 6 German Film Awards including a deserving best direction, best screenplay and best cinematography by Robby Müller who shines on various occasion and gives a cohesive visual feel. I will look up Alice in the Cities (1974) and Kings of the Road (1976) to see see if Wender achieved similar success. Let's hope Peter Handke again gives substance to Wim Wenders now that Wenders is tackling 3 fiction films in a row after dedicating a decade and a half to creating captivating documentaries starting with Oscar-nominated Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and even better recent offerings Pina (2011) and The Salt of the Earth (2014).

"Falsche Bewegung," (In the US called "The Wrong Move") is one of the finest films ever produced in Germany and certainly of of film guru Wim Wender's best works. An analysis of the sentiments, both serious and humorous, of the citizens of Post-war Germany, the feelings of guilt, loss, anger, and misdirection is so clearly and frighteningly distributed to the audience it really brings you to thought and to tears. A masterpiece.

This early Wim Wenders film is about a frustrated writer who is encouraged by his mother to take a train trip to Bonn. On the way he meets an odd assortment of characters including a former concentration camp guard who is now a street musician, a mute teenage acrobat, a semi-famous actress, a hilarious overweight would-be poet, and the latter's "uncle", a depressed suicidal recluse. The film is rather talky and philosophical, frequently meditating on the nature of artistic creation itself. It has kind of morose atmosphere to it like Wender's later film "Paris, Texas", but without the redemptive ending. For lack of a better word I would call it existentialist. Like "Paris, Texas" it's kind of an existentialist road movie except that the characters travel by train.

The only recognizable actor in this is a young Nastassia Kinski. This isn't nearly as sexy as one of her late 70's/early 80's roles (but like "To the Devil a Daughter" a year later, it's probably sexier than it ought to be). Still, whereas most male directors at the time were mostly interested in undressing Kinski (both on and off screen), Wenders can be credited at least with making her a more respected actress, mostly with her later role in "Paris, Texas", but also to a lesser extent with her debut role in this.

I can see why people find this kind of slow-going and perhaps a little depressing. But I found it quite interesting and actually enjoyed it.