Cliched?

Great film; very interesting, perfectly paced and acted, but could this film be any less subtle about how it portrays existentialism? Instead of gently letting us see the philosophy behind the film, we get the point hammered home in not one but two monologues that explain the fundamentals of Wenders' way of thinking; the cop's discussion about catching criminals near the end of the movie, and the Goalie's speech five minutes later about which way the kicker will kick the ball into the net. And let's not forget to mention the numerous (seemingly) meaningless conversations between characters. We are left to determine meaning for ourselves in every line spoken in the film, an obvious example of existance preceeding essence. Imagine taking Sartre's Being and Nothingness, translating it into German, and throwing it in a blender with a history book about Cold War Austria and a few Tops of the Pops records from America and you get this film. I appreciate the film for what it is; blatantly philosophical (That's what it sets out to be and succeeds with flying colors, and I commend Wenders for it), but if that's all you're looking for, read Fight Club and you'll see the same point made with even broader strokes. I get the point, Wem.

My take,

*** out of ****