Angel

A Love Story Embellished with the Tapestry of Imagination

Angel, also known as Mon Ange, directed by Harry Cleven, is a Belgian film released in 2016. It is a cross between romance and fantasy drama. The film examines invisibility, love, and acceptance in a profound way, crafting a storyline that complicated what is visible and what is not.

🎥 Plot Overview

The story begins with Elina Loweensohn casted as Louise, a woman who was admitted to a psychiatric asylum after her magician lover vanished from thin air. Nine months later, she gives birth to a son who, astonishingly, is invisible. To shield “Mon Ange” from a cruel world that would never understand a unique soul, she decides to seclude him from the rest of society.

With time, he yearns to experience the world outside the four walls. One day, he ventures outside and meets hannah Boudreau, a blind girl still blind. Boudreau perceives Angel not with her eyes but with her feelings. Described as a modern day Romeo and Juliet, the romance blossoms without barriers.

As their love develops, the transformation takes place which is allied with her getting eyesight restoration surgery. The dynamics of her relationship change, as does her life after a now ex-boyfriend becomes part of her past.

• Fleur Geffrier as Madeleine (Adult): A woman whose love challenges the boundaries of perception.
• With an exceptional cast, we have: Elina Löwensohn as the mother devoted to protecting her invisible son, a role that captures her fierce essence as a protector.
• Fleur Geffrier as Madeleine (Adult): A woman whose love challenges the boundaries of perception.
• Also starring Hannah Boudreau as the child who first introduces the character’s early bond with Angel.
• François Vincentelli: Angel’s Father, an enigmatic magician whose disappearance catalyzes the plot.

🎞️ Themes

What to Expect The film presents the relationship as the focal point without overlooking each member’s individual attributes. Angel captures the essence of:

• Absence intertwined with visibility and stillness: An exploration of invisibility, and the space that encompasses indiscernibility.
• Romantic love not limited to someone’s exterior: Love confined to mere optics breaches the limits of perception.
• Acceptance and Identity: Strides of embracing the self and being embraced by others.

The narrative of the film is effortless and otherworldly, welcoming the audience to a space where the invisible exists in a magnificent way.

🎬 Style and Shot Composition

Director Harry Cleven has a distinct approach to visual storytelling, sparingly using soft lighting while framing the characters up close to realize their emotional complexity. Along with the cinematography of Juliette Van Dormael, the film’s ethereal quality is accentuated by the focus on what is visible versus what is hidden throughout the narrative.

🏆 Accolades

Angel was awarded recognition at the 8th Magritte Awards, receiving the accolade of Most Promising Actress for Maya Dory’s performance as teenaged Madeleine. The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design which shows the artistic merit of the film.

📺 Final Thoughts

This film, Angel, captures the essence of love in a way that is deeply thought provoking. It implores the audience to consider the nature of relationships as well as the hidden beauty that surrounds us. Angel is ideal for those looking for challenging yet transparent narratives that feel remarkably deep and effortless.