Angel-A is one of my favourite films. It is beautiful to look at, there are many perfectly-constructed scenes, and its overall message and themes moved me greatly. However, it is, at the same time, a film that I have mixed feelings about (which is normal- you don’t have to agree with or enjoy all aspects of a story, even if you really, really love it; in some ways, this can even make the story better, because it makes you think and feel), mostly because of the character of Angela. I don’t mean that I dislike her or anything, because Angela is the best part of the movie, not to mention the central character. (She isn’t the main character, but there wouldn’t be any film without her.) She’s interesting, stylish, and reveals a lot to the protagonist about himself. On the other hand, there are some things about her that left me feeling a little bit uncomfortable. I love Angela for who she is. However, I am a little bit unsure about what she is. Angela seems to be an example of the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” character type. This is a sort of wish-fulfillment character. She’s the main character’s slightly eccentric love interest, who teaches him how to enjoy life by acting crazy. Sometimes, this type of character can be done right, such as in Harold & Maude or Going Bovine. But there are other times when the audience is too aware of the character as a device. Angela was created to serve an obvious purpose, and once you realise that, she feels less organic. She’s sometimes presented as someone to fantasise over, which is a shame, because her character deserves much more than that. At the end of the day, though, there are far more positive aspects to Angela than there are negative. To a certain extent, every character in fiction is a device created to drive the story forward, and none are completely perfect. Angela is a strong enough character to be more than just escapism.
Angela is Andre’s guardian angel. In that way, she is linked to him, and represents another side to him. In some scenes, she casually remarks that he is a woman on the inside, or that she is his true form. (I’m not sure if that’s supposed to mean anything about Andre’s gender or not.) Gradually, he comes to fall in love with her. I think the development of their relationship is meant to show how Andre is coming to like himself, and to feel comfortable with who he is. That isn’t to say that Angela is all in his head or anything; she’s certainly real, and while supernatural, she is still a human, physical being. While in one way she’s a part of him, in another she isn’t, and is just using her human form as a way of explaining to him what she sees him as, and what he has the potential to be. They have a spiritual bond, so the are connected and similar in many ways, but it isn’t just that Andre is falling in love with himself. He is falling in love with another individual who is in some ways a reflection of him, or at least is presenting herself as one. Maybe she could have done the same in any other form, but chose to use this one because it was what she felt most comfortable in. (I think I’m rambling now, so I’ll stop.)
It is definitely an interesting movie, with wonderful arty look and good dialogue. Of course, in movies like this, I kind of wonder why the person deserves to be saved when no one does it for others, but the main character in this is not all that bad, I have seen waaaaay worse characters in similar type situations. The guy in this is kind of adorable and clueless seeming. I haven’t seen this for ages, was there a bit with the shadow of her wings? I also love that she is soooo amazingly tall! She’s like a valkyrie or giantess!
Her tallness suits how “other” she is. 🙂