Rent Angela (1995)

Imaginative and poetic though often disappointing. - Angela review by CP Customer

Angela is a 10 year old girl whose mother Mae suffers from a debilitating mental illness. Once a successful musician, Mae’s mood towards her children fluctuates between loving and playful parent to a manic and depressive mess. After attending church and having visions of Satan, Angela believes that the evil and sin within her and Ellie, her six year old sister, is the cause of their mothers’ illness, and the pair create strange religious rituals to cleanse themselves of their sins. This strange little independent film is almost like a cross between an early David Lynch and Harmony Korine movie. The direction varies between imaginative and artistic to downright amateurish with silly production mistakes; there are outdoor scenes of real beauty especially views of the two girls walking through the local landscape but this often contrasts with poor interior shots with appalling sound quality and views of a microphone boom dropping into shot in numerous scenes. The acting throughout was often stilted and wooden, though the two young leads did a surprisingly good job and were considerably better than the majority of the adult cast. Overall, this a surreal and strange film which may appeal to David Lynch fans, and though watchable it’s nowhere near as good as Rebecca Millers later film ‘The Ballad Of Jack And Rose’ which is infinitely far more balanced and accessible.