GRADE: B+

It is always intriguing to see ourselves from someone else's perspective, particularly when that someone is the fine German director, Wim Wenders. Like many foreign filmmakers, especially those from Europe, it’s a narrative a technique (some would say trick) by which to delve into and illustrate their own views on, in this case, various aspects of American society and culture, which for better or worse remains a preoccupation with much of the world because of America’s far flung influence on everything from pop etiquette to politics.

In “Alice in the Cities,” Wenders and co-screenwriter Veith von Furstenberg have created a story that concerns a photojournalist who’s on assignment in the U.S. Burned out and obviously bored, he decides to take a detour from his assignment, determined to drive from coast to coast in order to explore firsthand what the U.S. is really made of; to find out what it’s all about.

That road trip provides the film with many poignant and powerful moments as everyday aspects of American life are displayed from a point of view often difficult, if not impossible, for native filmmakers to convey. Many of these interludes offer longtime Wenders collaborator Robbie Mueller, working in black & white, to showcase his considerable talent for capturing unique physical geometry and turning it into expressive pictorial compositions, making clear why he is considered one of the industry’s best cinematographers.

Rather than rely on the singularity of the on-the-road-element to drive the entire plot, Wenders introduces Alice, an 11-year old girl whose mother asks the photojournalist at one of his stops to watch the child for a few moments, then promptly disappears, stranding him with the kid. But Alice's presence injects the film with an additional point of reference; as we see ourselves through the eyes of the main character, he begins to see his life through the eyes and observations of Alice. As a result, what might have been a one-dimensional road journey becomes a deeper, more robust and immediate odyssey of self-discovery.

At first the photographer resents being stuck with her, but in time the kid's precarious position, no fault of her own, begins to reshape his feelings, and a growing sense of understanding between them emerges, which in turn reshapes their impressions of the American landscape.

However, anyone expecting this development will lead to an outpouring of sentimentality and a neatly wrapped resolution doesn't know Wenders. An existentialist at heart, his films frequently attempt to achieve a balance between hope and despair, between negative and positive forces, and between those aspects of our lives we can control and those we cannot. It's a juggling act he has handled well, often better than the characters in his films! Whether or not these particular characters will be able to make something of their predicament is the underlying pretext for the remainder of the drama.