filmbore picks Angel-A

Angel-A

Director: Luc Besson
Screenplay: Luc Besson
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Gilbert Melki
Year: 2005
Language: French
UK rental release: January 2007


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Luc Besson has returned to his roots recently, with the intense, gritty action-thriller, Lucy, centred around a strong female lead. In honour of his faith in nostalgia and mainstay, I want to talk about one of his more touching, personal films: the alternative love story that is Angel-A. 

André Moussah (Jamel Debbouze, Days Of Glory, Amelie) is an American citizen and a scam artist. Hard on his luck, he has until the end of the night to get hold of €40,000 or face the wrath of some of his debtors. This is but one dilemma for André, however, as he is in trouble all over the place!

Someone else who's after his wallet is Monsieur Franck (Gilbert Melki, Monsieur Ibrahim, Three) who puts the pressure on him to deliver the goods but dangling him from the top of the Eiffel Tower! Feeling desperate, André turns to the American Embassy for help, claiming that his papers and cards have  been stolen. Yet, with a colourful past, there's little the Embassy can do for him. Even struggling to get locked up in a prison cell for the night, with no other route out of his terrible strife, he toys with the idea of jumping from a bridge. Maybe ending it all is the easiest option?

He's stopped from taking the plunge when confronted with Angela (Rie Rasmussen, Human Zoo, Femme Fatale), who has been having the same idea. She feels no hesitation, and as she leaps, he feels compelled to follow her down to save her.

As he carries her to the side of the river and throws her ashore, it's not until she stands up that he realises how breathtakingly tall she is (which may be down to a convenient curb and a mean set of high heels!). For saving her from imminent death, she vows a life-debt to him, devoting her eternal kindness and promising to do anything that he wishes.

This gives André an idea. With her help, there could be a way to bypass his debts. Angela has her own intentions through helping him though, and when André hears of her mission, he struggles to come to terms with the gravity of it!

Entirely shot in black and white, Angel-A reflects a romantic side of Paris that you haven't previously seen, exposing the beauty in the gruffness, complementing the conventional attractiveness of an already over-familiar city. It captures Paris uniquely. I use this phrase confidently, as this is a city that has been shot by so many film makers over the years, with a relative line of similarity uniting most of them. 

Besson and his regular collaborator, Director of Photography Thierry Arbogast, take a braver approach, with contemporary filming combined with classic capture. Both methods are glued together with numerous techniques (extreme long shots, over-the-shoulder shots with canted angles, and more!), all while using natural light to infuse its grey-scaled visage. 

This technical mixture blends smoothly, with the colour tone marrying each approach used, gifting us a palatable treat for the eyes. It's delicious on the lips too, allowing you to a raise a smile even in some of its more melancholic moments. In fact, there are some good comical undertones at play, and not in an obvious way either. 

The whole picture is cheeky, knowing exactly what perspective to play at: jovial while retaining its thoughtful edge. Such emphasis on balancing this flavours is partly achieved thanks to the performances from our two leads. There's great natural chemistry between them, with both actors bouncing off each other effortlessly with fun dialogue and unusual japes to garnish the portrayal of two intriguing characters.

Rie Rasmussen is stunning as the ethereal Angela. With minimal effort, she exudes charisma through her demure, aloof, while still a little other-worldly, demeanour. Her execution of the part is the keystone to the entire piece, elevating the picture to a more poetic stance, while providing the special ingredient that makes this odd couple so entertaining. Besson knows how to pick a leading lady!

With such a striking female lead character, Besson needed someone to play the everyman. André is a mere ruffle in the overpowering tapestry of Angela yet needs to hold his own in her presence. For this, Besson chose the only man with the right balance in Jamel Debbouze (who stood out in his wonderful performance of Saïd Otmari in Days Of Glory, reviewed here).

Debbouze is enigmatic as André, taking us on a ride through a seedier side of the French capital in his attempts to negotiate around everyone he confronts. A rich role to be given, not wasted on this talented performer, as he relishes in every line that he gets to play with; savouring each phrase and delivering them with panache.  

With such diverse differences between their characters, including the difference in their backgrounds, they are destined never to be together (a little Montague-Capulet, if you will), making their growing connection that much more tragic.

This makes the film a little cute, while retaining an attentive approach on a number of life's intricacies: lack of self confidence, losing faith and hope, little perspective on the bigger picture. Thematically, how these are handled could have come across a little limp and stereotypical. Instead, its scruples are portrayed gently, all evolving in their importance through the reflection of André through Angela.

This is realised at its best during the mirror scene, which is my favourite part of the whole film. It is both revealing and familiar. As André is introduced to the sweeter, truer side of himself, you are drawn directly into the picture's emotional heart, grounding you at its pinnacle just before the final act.

I forbid you to not connect with this scene somehow. It is a brilliant unique moment in cinema, one that should promote Angel-A in its ratings one some more familiar sites. It's a prime example of when Jamel Debbouze delivers some effortless acting, illustrating why he is perfect to play such human characters. It's a perfectly poised moment in a perfectly paced film.

Scandalously looked over in Besson's canon, Angel-A is both sweet and sour, gently carrying its delicate mix of flavours with a hint of audacity. Break down these soft complexities and you'll reveal something a little more touching - at its heart it's a love story that's also about natural friendship.

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