The second film in Wim Wenders' so-called "Road Movie Trilogy" (about as artificial a "trilogy" as the three Ingmar Bergman films arbitrarily lumped together under that banner), now available on The Criterion Collection's YouTube channel, Wrong Move (1975) starts off on a markedly different note than its predecessor, Alice in the Cities (1974). It becomes clear, in fact, that despite supposedly representing a trilogy, Wrong Move is a distinctly darker brand of Wenders, less whimsically surreal. It starts not by Rudiger Vogler singing "Under the Boardwalk" but by him punching out his windows, which can be taken as a sign of suicidal tendencies.
The film continues on its dark tone while introducing its surreal elements. It is essentially a story of strangers whose lives randomly collide, and they stick together as a group for a while. The weirdness is soberly found in them discussing their dreams, and in one being a mute street performer. There is more use of blood, with the film evoking the story of a saint in the process. Vogler's character, more of a nihilist than his one in Alice in the Cities, seriously contemplates killing and comes close to it, in a scene rather intense on its first viewing.
Wrong Move is at once a film that shares commonalities with Wenders' other works like Wings of Desire and Alice, but is also worlds apart. In the process, it finds its own unique voice and is a satisfying experience.
The film continues on its dark tone while introducing its surreal elements. It is essentially a story of strangers whose lives randomly collide, and they stick together as a group for a while. The weirdness is soberly found in them discussing their dreams, and in one being a mute street performer. There is more use of blood, with the film evoking the story of a saint in the process. Vogler's character, more of a nihilist than his one in Alice in the Cities, seriously contemplates killing and comes close to it, in a scene rather intense on its first viewing.
Wrong Move is at once a film that shares commonalities with Wenders' other works like Wings of Desire and Alice, but is also worlds apart. In the process, it finds its own unique voice and is a satisfying experience.