Angel-A

Writer/Dir: Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, The Professional, La Femme Nikita)
Cast: Rie Rasmussen, Jamel Debbouze, Gilbert Melki, Serge Riaboukine
France, 2007

Seen: June 27/07 at the Royal

Reason to see: Luc Besson is one of my favourite directors, also as week 27 for 52 weeks of seeing film in the theatre in a row.

I'm a long time fan on Luc Besson and I'll admit after seeing the preview for this I was a little hesitant about seeing the film. Although it promised unconventional relationship, a strong female character and a lot of visual style and being in black and white to boot. All of that on paper seems completely great. What made me hesitate was some of the gender dynamics and an odd reoccurring focus of the camera to between Angel-a's legs. Now, Besson has historically had fantastic female characters in his films (La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element), so I thought I would let that go as maybe I was reading too much into it. Unfortunately I wasn't, it was oddly predominant in the film and although I believe they were going in essence an empowering thing and/or that is wasn't about gender but character, but it didnt't really work for me. Putting that aside, the films actual main focus is a down on his luck guy for whom an angel drops from the sky to take care of him. There are moral questions that come into play, the two have and interesting dynamic and it is well shot. Overall, it wasn't one that I overly enjoyed and unlike many films this year it was the film that the preview represented.

Shannon's Overall View:
It was not to my taste
I'll likely not watch it again
I'd recommend it to those who enjoy quirky French films and don't mind some gender crap

preshow included no commercials and 3 previews: Manufacturing Dissent, Red Road and The Boss of it All

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© Shannon Ridler, 2007