15 Movies Like Wings of Desire

Loved Wings of Desire? Based on its unique Cinema DNA—including its pacing, themes, and emotional tone—we've curated the ultimate list of what you should watch next.

14 and Under
#1

14 and Under

This episodic film is a close relative of Wolf Hartwig's schoolgirl report movies, made by the same people, in a similar style, around similar topics. However, this one specifically focuses on the coming-of-age aspects, to an extent that it also touches on delicate issues such as paedophilia.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Grand Jete
#2

Grand Jete

Dance teacher and mother Nadja left her son Mario with her own mother when he was little. Now she has reappeared on his doorstep, seeking a closeness that knows fewer and fewer boundaries. An uncompromising film about family relationships.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

The Tank
#3

The Tank

A German Tiger tank crew is sent on a dangerous mission to rescue the missing officer Paul von Hardenburg from a top-secret bunker behind enemy lines. As they make their way through the lethal no-man's land, they must confront not only the enemy, but also their own fears and inner demons. Fueled by the Wehrmacht's methamphetamine, their mission increasingly becomes a journey into the heart of darkness.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Drifter
#4

Drifter

Moritz follows a boyfriend to Berlin and is soon abandoned by him. Alone in the big city, he embarks on a journey through a wide range of queer experience. Only through a new circle of queer friends does he develop his own ideas of sexuality and masculinity, leading him to a clearer self-identity.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Heidi
#5

Heidi

Heidi, is an eight-year-old Swiss orphan who is given by her aunt to her mountain-dwelling grandfather. She is then stolen back by her aunt from her grandfather to live in the wealthy Sesemann household in Frankfurt, Germany as a companion to Klara, a sheltered, disabled girl in a wheelchair. Heidi is unhappy but makes the best of the situation, always longing for her grandfather.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Meet Joe Black
#6

Meet Joe Black

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?

💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Wings of Desire.

Ghost
#7

Ghost

After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.

💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Wings of Desire.

All Quiet on the Western Front
#8

All Quiet on the Western Front

Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march into a war they believe in. But once on the Western Front, they discover the soul-destroying horror of World War I.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

The Lives of Others
#9

The Lives of Others

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Wings of Desire.

The Age of Adaline
#10

The Age of Adaline

After 29-year-old Adaline recovers from a nearly lethal accident, she inexplicably stops growing older. As the years stretch on and on, Adaline keeps her secret to herself until she meets a man who changes her life.

💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Wings of Desire.

Fall for Me
#11

Fall for Me

Lilli is suspicious of her sister's new fiance, but when an attractive stranger enters her life, she's suddenly distracted by the thralls of desire.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Downfall
#12

Downfall

In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Woodwalkers 2
#13

Woodwalkers 2

For shapeshifter Carag and his friends Brandon, Holly, and Lou, a new school year begins at Clearwater High. But first, the Woodwalker Council must decide whether Carag's mentor and patron of the school, Andrew Milling, is guilty of attacking humans. Carag is in a dilemma: he wants to put a stop to Milling's actions, but Milling promises to take him to his true puma family if he covers for him before the council.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

Das Boot
#14

Das Boot

A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Wings of Desire.

City of Angels
#15

City of Angels

When a guardian angel – who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles – becomes captivated by a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.

💡Why it's a match: A highly-rated genre match based on the viewing habits of people who liked Wings of Desire.