Paris, Texas

Have you ever been to Paris, Texas? It does indeed exist, and its biggest attraction is… a twenty-metre-tall Eiffel Tower topped with a cowboy hat. All over the world, film aficionados associate the town with Wim Wenders’ Palme d’Or-winning masterpiece. The most iconic example of his artistic fascination with America, Paris, Texas is a meandering road film attuned to the beauty of landscapes, in which winding roads rarely lead to a specific destination – the ultimate purpose lies in eternal travel. The unrivalled Harry Dean Stanton plays Travis Henderson, a drifter lost in the desert – a man with no memory who hasn’t seen his wife Jane (Nastassja Kinski) in years. Henderson’s odyssey, traversing a bleak, ageing, anonymous Texas, is captured in breathtaking style by Wenders’ frequent collaborator, Robby Müller. Turning forty this year, Paris, Texas is a melancholy love letter to America and a moving story about loneliness.

Sebastian Smoliński

On April 10, the film will be introduced by the director, Wim Wenders (live, online).