A teenage girl with a vivid imagination knows what she wants and fearlessly goes after it in Angel, a loving tribute to the power of desire. Angel Deverell (Romola Garai, Emma, Atonement), the daughter of a grocer, fantasizes about living in the town mansion, Paradise House. She interests a London publisher (Sam Neill, The Tudors, Jurassic Park) in her romantic novel, and he manages to turn the over-the-top melodrama into a bestseller – allowing Angel to buy Paradise House and pursue the man of her dreams, a painter (Michael Fassbender, Inglourious Basterds) struggling for his own big break. The first English-language film from the prolific and unpredictable French director Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, 8 Women, Under the Sand), the vibrant, sumptuous Angel also stars his frequent muse, Charlotte Rampling.
Why you may wish to watch it: The terrific cast, magnificent costumes and sumptuous visuals, set in the Edwardian period. “A film that’s a total mess, but in kind of a beautiful way.” – Brian Tallerico
Why you may wish to skip it: “Angel makes it clear early on that the title character, Angel Deverell, has only a micron of talent. But stripped of any irony, let alone wit, the movie ends up as empty and flowery as the literature (and person) it should be satirizing. At no point does Garai make the fame-struck, self-absorbed Angel likable or even sympathetic.” – Variety
Starring Romola Garai, Michael Fassbender, Sam Neill, Charlotte Rampling, Lucy Russell.