Review – Paris, Texas (1984) directed by Wim Wenders.
Rewatched on February 18th, 2025
Rating: 5/5 Stars
I got the most random urge to watch this film (well, perhaps it’s not so random as it was inspired knowing that a friend of my is at a Wim Wenders film festival/showcase in India and just watch this movie, among many others, with Wenders there in person) and decided to act upon that feeling, despite having been in a bit of a slump lately when it came to watching movies. I think I’ve just felt a bit torn when it came to finding comfort with film again. Been in a weird place in my life: nothing is quite certain, nothing feels quite right, and nothing quite feels like it’s working out how I thought. Part of that is due to wrongful expectations, but it’s had an unintended effect on watching movies. Rather foolishly and for no good reason, I haven’t been able to always feel good about watching movies lately with everything so uncertain. While an irrational thought, it’s somewhat felt like I can’t sit and enjoy things like film until I get myself together and figure things out. Reading this now, I can’t help but feel so foolish for that feeling, but sometimes we can’t help ourselves until we step outwards and look in from elsewhere. I just couldn’t motivate myself to take the time, enjoy it like I used to (and maybe I still can’t). But rewatching this film was one of those movie watching experiences that reminded me of why I fell in love with this in the first place, and why that feeling I’ve been having was so foolish. Life is never going to be certain, whether you’re riding high on good tides or sulking in slumps and sorrows. For me, it is art (and mainly film) that inspires me to aspire towards something. Even if I don’t know what, or where, or how, movies (and movie experiences) like this are what keeps me going. To watch something that completely takes you, holds you, and reminds you just what it is you’re dreaming about. It doesn’t have to feel like a waste of time; if it inspires you, teaches you, or makes you feel some kind of way, it’s a positive step towards wherever you’re supposed to be going. I’ve learned by now that not much happens instantaneously; things are a process, and you can’t always get to Z without stumbling through A-Y first. I may wake up tomorrow and feel just like I did about film, or maybe I’ll carry this reinvigorated passion and hope and inspiration into the daylight. Whatever happens, it’s okay. It’s all about taking steps. I’ve been getting a lot of motivational YouTube recommendations lately, and I watched one today about the bursts of inspiration we get at night/midnight that seems to vanish the next day. It really sat with me, particularly this one quote: “The true magic isn’t in the dreaming, it’s in what you carry into the daylight.”
Maybe this review is a little silly; almost none of it actually has anything to do with this film and is more about the semi-related experience I had with it that this movie brought on (and maybe its TMI or too personal for everyone on Letterboxd to see). But this experience did have such an impact on me, gripping me emotionally in a way I’ve missed. And, to talk about the film now, I think that’s in part because this film and its tone has such a tender and caring undercurrent to it. It’s wrapped in mystery, complexity, and some pretty messy family dynamics that are ultimately a bit darker than it lets on, yet this movie doesn’t feel like a dark horror story. There was a lot to this film that I didn’t remember (mainly the truth behind the main mystery), and I was surprised with how warm this movie felt. In a way, it’s almost like a hug from someone you haven’t seen in a while, and aren’t really sure if you even want it now, yet it reminded you of how you missed when you did want that hug. There’s a lot of other parts to this film that struck me, stuck with me, made me think, made me feel. Self discovery, self reinvention, myths of family paired with myths of the American west and unknown, and what “Paris, Texas” in the film represents in relation to that. There’s so much in this film yet it’s presentation feels so smooth and seamless and simple in the most postive way. Wim Wenders is yet another director who I feel truly makes movies for my soul. I’m so happy I decided to rewatch this, not only because of my stronger love for the film, but what I hope it has done for my movie-watching and overall life inspiration, a feeling I hope to carry into tomorrows daylight.
Check out the original review posted on Letterboxd here.
