Until the End of the World

Wenders’ most ambitious and most exuberant project to date: a visionary, cyberpunk epic spread across eleven countries and five hours, created almost a decade before The Matrix. Experimenting with an apocalyptic narrative, Until the End of the World begins, incidentally, in 1999: the world is in danger of annihilation because a nuclear satellite has malfunctioned. Meanwhile, Claire (Solveig Dommartin) faces a personal disaster: when her boyfriend cheats with her best friend, she embarks on an intoxicating journey that will escalate into an international investigation. The meandering narrative eventually develops into a parable about the power of seductive images – for at the centre of the intrigue, there is a unique device that can record and visualize dreams. The early 1990s video technology and iconic songs written especially for the film, combined with a smattering of genre tropes and Wenders’ fascination with postmodern urbanity, make up an artistic spectacle at the intersection of different worlds, akin to Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Patrycja Mucha

4K restoration from 2014.

Screening schedule: part 1: 133 min + 20 min intermission + part 2: 155 min