Wim Wenders: 'The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez'

It feels like the audience gets to participate in a long, intense conversation. Wim Wender's new film, "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez," is like theater for the silverscreen - but takes place outdoors. It is comprised of two people - a man and a woman -, a garden, the view of Paris in the distance, the rustle of tree leaves, and the chirping of birds. Wenders shot the minimalist film in 10 days.

The filmmaker and the writer are long-time friends. "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez" is their fifth collaboration. Handke, who lives near Paris, wrote the story for the theater and Wenders altered it slightly for the cinema.

A writer is also featured in Wender's new film. He is the third person the audience gets to know in the 100-minute production. The author played by Jens Harzer, sits at a desk in an old villa on a hill near Paris. He looks into the garden where "his" two characters are talking. The writer in the film is Peter Handke's alter ego - and writes what the pair in the garden talks about.

Wim Wenders said that there was "a climate of freedom" among his small team on the set outside Paris. Although the film was shot using 3D technology, it had a low budget.

Actress Sophie Semin co-stars as half of the pair in the garden. She had an advantage when it came to performing the dialogue written by Peter Handke. Semin married the writer in 1995, though they've been separated for many years.

Reta Kateb co-stars with Sophie Semin in "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez." Kateb was born in Paris as the son of an Algerian actor and French nurse. He also has Czech and Italian roots. The actor also plays the lead in "Django," which will be opening the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

Wim Wenders places high value on film music, and has long been a fan of Nick Cave's. The Australian musician made a brief guest appearance in "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez," singing "Into My Arms" and accompanying himself on the piano.

Poetically set, "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez" is a film about the passing of time, about life and love. The minimalist setting - the garden and old villa are the only background - and its long dialogues demand a great deal of patience from the audience.

At its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, "The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez" was only moderately well received. For many in the audience, it was too heavy on the dialogue, and therefore presumably better suited to the stage. Wim Wenders took the criticism with a grain of salt and was upbeat at the festival. The film opens in German cinemas on January 26.