Going into the movie knowing little more than the cast and a basic idea of the story, I found it to be quite a treat.
From the film’s synopsis, Angel of Mine sounds like it’s a Lifetime movie-of-the-week. But, thanks to a stellar cast, a decent script, and some fine direction, the film is anything but.
Lizzie (Noomi Repace,) a recently divorced mother, still grieves for her deceased baby daughter, Rosie. Although seven years have passed since her death, Lizzie has yet to accept it as fact. Her mental state has deteriorated so much that her ex-husband, Mike (Luke Evans,) threatens to take full custody of their son, Thomas (Finn Little,) if she doesn’t move on.
By chance, Lizzie sees Lola (Annika Whiteley) at a birthday party for a friend of Thomas’. Obsessed by the girl, she introduces herself to Lola’s mom, Claire (Yvonne Strahovski,) and does everything she can to meet and interact with Lola. I won’t say why.
Angel of Mine was directed by Kim Farrant (Strangerland) and is a remake of a 2008 French film called Mark of an Angel. I have not seen the original so I can’t compare the two. The script for this Australian version was written by Luke Davies and David Regal.
By carefully revealing facts about Lizzie’s past and Rosie’s death rather than just dumping everything out on the table, Farrant keeps the suspense level high. Noomi Repace delivers a solid performance as the unraveling Lizzie. Yvonne Strahovski is equally good as the mother threatened by Lizzie’s increasingly bold behavior.
Luke Evans, although featured prominently on the poster and given third billing, appears relatively briefly. Richard Roxburgh (Van Helsing) gets more screen time as Lola’s father, Bernard.
This type of psychological thriller lives or dies by its conclusion. Some may find the film’s ending to be unsatisfactory. Possibly unbelievable. Going into the movie knowing little more than the cast and a basic idea of the story, I found it to be quite a treat. In fact, the ending saved the movie for me, as I had decided three-quarters of the way through that I’d likely never want to watch it again. That was not how I felt as the credits rolled.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
