Wim Wenders withdraws 'The Wrong Move' from circulation – and apologizes to Nastassja Kinski

The trigger for the decision is an approximately two-minute scene in which Nastassja Kinski, who was only 13 years old at the beginning of filming, stands before the camera with her upper body exposed. In the sequence, the character of the traveling writer, played by Rüdiger Vogler, then over 30 years old, visits Kinski's character in her room; Kinski is only wearing a slip. The role of the mute teenage acrobat was Kinski's film debut.

In a personal statement, Wenders addressed the actress directly: 'As the only one of those responsible at the time for "The Wrong Move" who is still here, I see that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then. For that, I ask for your forgiveness, Nastassja, without ifs or buts.' Wenders further stated that the many reactions of the past few days had 'significantly contributed to further sharpening my view of the events at the time'. For that, he was 'grateful'.

The director's apology

At the end of May, on the occasion of the German Film Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award at the German Film Awards in Berlin, Wenders had already stated that he would 'never do such a scene again today'. At the same time, he admitted that he could not 'blame the young man, 29 years old, from 50 years ago. He made a film in his time, he somehow wanted to capture the zeitgeist.' This stance met with sharp criticism.

Kinski's lawyer Christian Schertz, who has represented the actress for years, had announced formal legal steps immediately before the foundation's announcement. 'If we are not confirmed that the scene will be removed, we will sue,' Schertz said. A lawsuit would be based on the violation of Kinski's personal rights as a child. Schertz welcomed the withdrawal decision but called it 'long overdue' and regretted that it only came about 'as a result of public pressure'. Now one had to wait and see 'what the offer of talks specifically entails'.

Legal pressure and the actress's reaction

Kinski herself had previously spoken out in the 'Süddeutsche Zeitung'. 'Although I didn't know much at 13, I already realized that it wasn't right,' she said. She also explained to the newspaper that it was her first film and Wenders her first director: 'That was my first film, he was my first director and he didn't protect me.' She had asked Wenders for years to remove the scene – in vain, and he had refused a personal conversation.

Wenders, one of the most internationally renowned German directors, had drawn objections from filmmakers and critics after he himself initiated the debate about dealing with the scene in his acceptance speech in Berlin. 'How do we deal with film heritage? May we, can we, should we perhaps cut a scene if, in this case, it hurts one of my actresses, whom I have greatly admired and still admire?' he had asked, simultaneously calling on the German Film Academy to initiate a debate about the retrospective handling of controversial film works of the 20th century.

Debate on film heritage and censorship

The co-presidents of the German Film Academy, Vicky Krieps and Florian Gallenberger, announced that they would organize their own event on the topic in September. 'The question raised by Wim Wenders, whether films and other works of art should, must, or may be altered retrospectively, has triggered intensive debates not only publicly but also within the German Film Academy,' they stated. The necessary substantive preparation requires 'time and care'.

Film scholar Annette Brauerhoch welcomed the withdrawal of the film but at the same time criticized Wenders' handling of the topic. She said on Deutschlandfunk Kultur that Wenders had 'distributed the responsibility to thousands with this appeal to the audience and the academy'. On the other hand, she spoke out against a mere deletion of the scene: it was a historical document of 'how strongly film history was shaped by sexist structures'. However, a cut could be 'a signal' that 'actresses are central participants in a film and deserve more say'.

Criticism of Wenders' gala appearance also came from within the filmmaking community itself. Actress Rosalie Thomass called the speech 'shameful', and her colleague Karoline Herfurth said she wished Wenders had 'publicly admitted to not adequately protecting a 13-year-old child at the time'. Actor Clemens Schick complained that Wenders had elevated the debate 'to an abstract level of censorship and film heritage'. Actress Lavinia Wilson, on the other hand, welcomed the fact that Wenders had made the topic public at all.

Comparable cases in film history

In the 'Süddeutsche Zeitung', Claudia Tieschky commented that Wenders' stance was 'the evasion of a director who appears thoughtful, from his real responsibility into an imagined victimhood against some culture-threatening prohibition machine'. Michael Hanfeld wrote in the 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung': 'This is not about freedom of art and opinion, and not about film heritage. This is about the fact that a thirteen-year-old child is sexualized and dragged naked in front of the camera. That was wrong in 1974, and it would be wrong today.'

Feminist Alice Schwarzer also took a stand in her magazine 'Emma'. In an open tone, she urged Wenders: 'Wim: Stop talking – and act! Finally cut those damn two minutes out of your film!' Schwarzer is among the most prominent voices urging the director to act for weeks.

The dispute over 'The Wrong Move' is part of a series of similar cases from film history in which minors were filmed in sexualized scenes. For example, Brooke Shields was twelve years old when she stood naked in front of the camera in Louis Malle's 'Pretty Baby' (1978), and fourteen for the nude and intimate scenes in 'The Blue Lagoon' (1980). Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 15 and 16 when they filmed a nude scene in Franco Zeffirelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' (1968); their $500 million lawsuit against Paramount was finally dismissed in October 2024. Maria Schneider later said about the sex scene in Bernardo Bertolucci's 'Last Tango in Paris' (1972): 'I felt violated and, to be honest, I also felt a little raped, by both of them, Marlon and Bertolucci.'

The discussion about how to deal with such works is not new. In 2002, Steven Spielberg replaced the federal agents' weapons with walkie-talkies for the 20th-anniversary re-release of 'E.T.', but in 2023 called this intervention a mistake: 'That was a mistake. I should never have done that. "E.T." is a product of its time.' In 1980, Stanley Kubrick removed a scene from 'The Shining' just a week after its theatrical release because critics found it confusing. Disney cut classics like 'Aladdin' (1992) and 'Lilo & Stitch' (2002) for re-releases and Disney+, George Lucas revised the original 'Star Wars' trilogy for its 20th anniversary, Ridley Scott released a new cut of 'Blade Runner' in 2007.

Today, strict protection rules apply to productions with minor actors, including the presence of guardians on set and explicit parental consent. Specially trained intimacy coordinators accompany sensitive scenes with minors.

What's next for 'The Wrong Move'?

Wenders announced that before a possible re-release, he wants to seek 'broad exchange on dealing with controversial film works from the 20th century' – including with the German Film Academy, the DFF – German Film Institute & Film Museum, other film heritage institutions, and intergenerational groups. His foundation stated that society must find 'appropriate ways of dealing with controversial film works of the 20th century' and 'face new learning processes and perspectives'. Kinski, on the other hand, had previously demanded not a complete withdrawal, but a post-production of the film.

Wenders had a long-standing collaboration with Kinski after 'The Wrong Move': in