Angel-A

Angel-a can be described as a romantic comedy, as a movie about angels and as one about therapy. As a romantic comedy it is a good and charming film, which stands far away from the omnipresent and boring Hollywood romantic comedies. As a movie about angels it is not convincing, and the best it can be said in its favour is that the movie is an heterodox rendering of angels, half divine and half too-human.

But the best use that can be given to this film is to adopt it as a manual of cognitive or rational-emotive therapy. A well respected field within psychology, cognitive therapy looks for transforming distorted thinking, which it is said, affects the mood, the behaviour and the life of people. That is simply what Angel-a does with Andre, giving him reasons to love himself, and teaching him techniques to change the way he thinks or speaks of himself. If we go to cinema some times to enjoy ourselves and some times to bring something to our lives, this movie allows us to do both. Art and cinema have also ethical consequences -in the sense of Foucault- giving us clues about how to live our lives better. In this sense the best description of Angel-a is given above by Elizabeth Arthur when she says that this is "a film about learning to love yourself".

Only one question remains: Why a director like Besson, who has been making movies about violence, decides to read about cognitive therapy and bring angels to earth and make a film like this?

I think the first thing that must be discussed about Angel-A is the casting. I'd never heard of either of these actors before watching the movie but they were so perfect for the roles. Having a short hairy Jamel Debbouze as the insecure liar who keeps getting himself into trouble works great, but even better is when he is contrasted with the tall and beautifully statuesque Rie Rasmussen. They are such an odd and unlikely pair that it works for this story. I love their interactions, and the contrast between the two of them. Perhaps even more remarkable is how they show the change in each of them as they spend more time together and start to rub off on one another. The emotional impact of the climax at the end of this film hit me like a ton of bricks, and a lot of that is because Rasmussen and Debbouze play out all that emotion so powerfully. There was also another intense moment earlier in the movie that made me tear up, because of what was happening and how well the actors performed the scene.

There are definitely some fuzzy plot points in this movie, and I was at times a bit confused at how Angela was influencing the people they came in contact with, to do things that are totally out of character. It feels like there would be a lot of people still ready to seek retribution on André, but there are several unexplained magical things going on, so I guess we're just supposed to let that go and assume everything will be fine. I wasn't interested in nitpicking the film too much after I was done watching because it made me feel so good. There is a surprising amount of heart in this story, and I love some of the messages that it teaches. It focuses a great deal on the value of truth, and the power of self-confidence. I'm not sure the ending was perfect, even if it felt good, it didn't play quite right. The conclusion threatened to undermine some of the messaging up to that point. However, when I watch this again, I might appreciate the finale more and see how it ties into the overall themes. And that's the most important point, no matter what flaws I might have seen in the movie, I didn't say "IF I watch this again, " I said "WHEN" because Angel-A is a solid movie that I expect to watch multiple times in the future.

Angel-A is an easy film to knock. Superficially, there isn't a great deal to endear it to any particular type of audience. For example, there's barely any action, no sex or nudity, there are no big Hollywood stars, it's not sufficiently intellectual to be an 'art-house movie' (despite being black & white!) and, although it has amusing moments, it's hardly a comedy. In addition, the film is only focused on the two main characters and, even then, it's only really about one of them. The remaining participants are (quite deliberately it appears) straightforward stereotypes who allow the simple story to progress. The quality of acting from Rie Rasmussen seems far from impressive but, to be fair, she's not speaking in her native language. Mind you, her awkward portrayal of the titular character seems to work well and she certainly stands out as a 'fish out of water'.

But despite the film's potential short-comings, there are three saving graces that transform Angel-A from a rather average 7 to a brilliant 9 in my eyes: the breathtaking cinematography (thank you Luc Besson), the magnificent casting (Jamel Debbouze is perfect as André) and the heart- warming gentle story (which stayed with me long after the film had finished). In fact, I would go so far as to say that Angel-A could leave you examining your own life and wondering when was the last time you stopped to 'respire and regard' the beautiful world around you and consider how the way you feel about yourself might well have a direct impact on how others treat you.

However, Angel-A is one of those films that you have to be in the right mood to watch. If you don't allow yourself to relax and be drawn into the fairytale, the story can easily fall flat. You also have to give it a chance to get started; the fast-paced dialogue at the beginning makes it hard to watch the pictures at the same time as reading the words (unless you're French of course!). But once Angela enters the frame, the story takes off on a stunningly gorgeous wander around Paris and the way that the tale gently unfolds in the second half of the film is wonderfully touching. There are many moments of outstanding beauty and even the superficially simplistic long-shots of Angela & André crossing the Seine have a mysterious magical quality about them. Actually, the whole film feels slightly unreal; this is partly down to the subject matter but also to the way it was filmed in an almost-empty Paris at odd times of the day.

So, in summary, I love Angel-A. It's one of those films you can watch again and again quite happily and find new insights from each viewing. There are so many scenes that quickly become favourite moments as you watch it multiple times. The contrast between the giant Nordic goddess and the shifty little North-African seems to work brilliantly and the backdrop of a beautiful black & white Paris with incredible lighting more than makes up for a few minor flaws. 9/10

First, to all you grumpy smurfs who are slamming Besson for "ripping off [...]", chill out! Don't you recognize a pastiche when you see one? If you bear that in mind, you'll thoroughly enjoy this carefree ride through angel territory, whether it's Frank Capra's funny cliché of meeting a suicidal angel by diving off a bridge, Wim Wender's suggestion that angels must always be filmed in black & white, or possibly even a touch of Christopher Walken's good-angel-bad-angel gimmick from The Prophecy, it's all in there plus more. Most of all, I think Besson tips his hat to the classic Der Himmel über Berlin (1987) by showing not Berlin but the glory of Paris in one of the most flattering presentations of that city I've ever seen. It's funny, we're trained to imagine a colourful Paris in the spring, but I never realized how breathtaking it can be in monochrome.

The plot of ANGEL-A is simple & charming. It has a few twists to keep you guessing. Most of all what captivated me (well, besides Rie's long LEGS!) was the chemistry between Rie and Jamel, two people you'd never expect to see on a date; yet together they light up the screen like they're MFEO. Their dialogues are brisk & cheeky, almost like Audrey Hepburn & Cary Grant in the old days. And at the same time, there's a lot of intensity behind every word, and you may find yourself rewinding or watching the film twice to catch everything that was said, especially if you're reading subtitles.

And Rie is freaking HAWT.

Let me say that again. Rie is freaking HAWT. Sexy but not slutty ...and with a mean hook kick. Just the way you'd expect your angels to be.

The film does hit a few bumps, particularly when it touches on the spiritual themes like where angels come from, what's their function, and the biggie: who's running the show? I was surprised to see Besson shy away from these topics--maybe because he got in some hot water for his iconoclastic ideas in his earlier film The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (a film which I really enjoyed, despite the critics' hissing). But just as well, I think it was his intent to keep this film on the lighter side this time.

And I think that's the point. Don't expect Leon the Professional or La Femme Nikita, and certainly don't expect an atheistic Dustin Hoffman dressed up like a monk. This is Besson's time to go easy & have fun. Again, don't get caught up in whom he's "ripping off". Don't get bogged down in the spiritual/religious significance of it all. Don't even try too hard to understand the ending (though there's much room for interpretation). Just relax and enjoy the show; you won't be disappointed.

The last time Luc Besson directed a movie, was back in 1999. The last six years he occupied himself with his production-company EuropaCorp and by writing a lot of screenplays. Now he's back with his 9th feature film, ANGEL-A. This time no gunfights, car-chases or explosions. Nope, this time the man brings us, of all things, a romantic comedy. The movie is completely shot in Paris and seems to be one of the most secret projects of French cinema. Honestly, I can't see why, except maybe for a nice plot-twist which is presented to us halfway through the movie and not, as usual, near the end.

The plot (don't worry, no spoilers): André is a regular swindler. He lies and cheats all the time and owes money to almost every criminal in Paris. After being beaten and threatened for the umpteenth time, he decides to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. On the verge of committing this act of despair, while standing on a bridge, he looks to the left and sees a girl about to do the same thing. When she jumps, he jumps after her and saves her from drowning. She's so thankful that she offers to do anything he wants while constantly remaining at his side. Suprisedly, she turns out to be a real life-saver by finding a lot of dubious ways to earn money and pay off André's debts. After a while André wants to know why she's doing all these things for him and is curious about her past...

Jamel Debbouze (you might know him as the slightly retarded grocer's assistant in LE FABULEUX DESTIN D'AMÉLIE POULAIN) is particularly good as the nervous André. The Dannish Rie Rasmussen, a sexy blond goddess with legs that go all the way, takes a little more time to convince as Angela. However, there is a certain chemistry between the two of them. The other characters are merely caricatured portraits of criminals and gangsters.

The story is rather straightforward and relies a lot on funny situations and dialogues. A lot of talking is being done and I must say most of the lines are well-written. Near the end of the movie, unfortunately, Luc Besson goes way over-the-top, making the movie lose a lot of credibility. But then again, it just might be possible that the end could be interpreted in two different ways. And that makes me suspect that Besson likes to play it safe by trying to please as many viewers as possible.

Anyway, a very important reason to watch this movie is the atmospheric black & white-photography by cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, who also worked on Besson's previous films. Paris, during autumn, is beautifully transferred to the screen with well-balanced lighting. The movie also has some impressive shots of 'la Tour Eiffel', a cathedral in 'le XVe arrondissement' and the many bridges to be found in Paris.

Most likely ANGEL-A will have as many defenders as adversaries, not necessarily to be divided in Besson-fans and not-fans respectively. But both parties will have to admit Besson had the guts to try something different. So let the box-office decide whether this genre-effort is successful or not.