Wim Wenders’ best movies


As one of the key figures in the movement of New German Cinema, Wim Wenders is an important name in the world of film. The enigmatic director has enjoyed a career spanning almost 50 years and is thought to be one of the most influential and talented figures in the film world. Wenders has won multiple awards of the course of his career, and he has produced some of the most respected and studied movies ever.

It’s never too late to discover this maverick director and the great movies he’s made. Wim Wenders is the best director you’ve never heard of and is cut from the same cloth as many of the great German directors of the ‘70s. He started out as a painter, so it’s no surprise he has a wonderful eye for landscapes and visual beauty. Here are some of Wim Wenders’ best movies that you definitely need to check out.

Paris, Texas (1984)

Considered to be Wenders’ most mainstream and commercially successful movie, Paris, Texas is one of the best independent films ever made. This is his best American movie, and tells the story of a man stumbling through the desert, trying to track down his lost wife. The film enjoyed great critical acclaim and won the Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In the style of many of Wenders’ flicks, the film takes the time to showcase the wonderful landscape and natural beauty. It’s the perfect road movie, and arguably his finest work.

Alice in the Cities (1974)

Ten years before he made Paris, Texas, Wenders directed a little film so many people have never heard of called Alice in the Cities. It’s a movie about a German man who is lumbered with a kid, the titular Alice, at the airport, and must take a road trip with her to find her grandmother. It’s a wonderfully simple road movie, and it works incredibly well as a result. Shot in black and white, there’s a quiet, and unassuming quality about this movie, which gives it a charming and engaging quality.

Wings of Desire (1987)

This romantic fantasy movie is pretty much the closest Wenders ever got to an epic scale. Following the story of an angel tempted by the idea of humanity, Wenders paints a stunning landscape for us to enjoy – black and white clashes with color and the world sprawls out before us like some long forgotten place. Wenders perfectly captures the gloom of 1980s Berlin and manages to make it dreamlike in quality.

Don’t Come Knocking (2005)

Don’t Come Knocking is one of Wenders’ more recent movies, and we think it ranks as one of his best. Another road movie (he just does them so well) this time sees an aging movie star who is dissatisfied with his life and leaves on a road trip to visit the mother he’s not seen in 30 years. The movie is one of the great American road trip films and a criminally underrated offering from Wenders.

Wim Wenders is not a director that everyone will like, and his movies are definitely niche. He often enjoys exploring stunning visuals, as well as finding magnificence in the mundanity of everyday life. But, he is one of the most talented and important filmmakers of all time, and, if you want to discover him properly, we definitely suggest you check out these movies.

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