Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Angel of Mine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 7, 2020

Noomi Rapace is an intense actress. She rarely plays light roles that offer a peek at the sunnier side of cinematic fantasy. Instead, she takes on the gut-rot parts that have her screaming in pain or suppressing emotion to such a degree, she risks implosion. Rapace has been on a tear with darker material in recent years, acting herself into a frenzy in “Close,” “What Happened to Monday,” and “Rupture.” She continues her career riot with “Angel of Mine,” which asks the talented thespian to portray possible madness in escalating offerings of distress. Screenwriters Luke Davies and David Regal have plenty of agony for Rapace to work her hands through, and she’s a magnetic lead for the picture, which has some issues with pace and the potency of reveals, but rarely falters when it comes to the primal scream Rapace provides without hesitation.

Lizzie (Noomi Rapace) is having a difficult time getting past her divorce from Mike (Luke Evans), who’s ready to claim full custody of their son, Thomas (Finn Little), after fearing for his safety around his traumatized mother. Lizzie claims perfect sanity, keeping a job as a makeup counter clerk and trying to date again, striving to project stability while others, including her parents, fear otherwise. During a birthday party, Lizzie spies young Lola (Annika Whiteley) playing amongst the kids, soon meeting her mother, Claire (Yvonne Strahovski), who lives in a luxury home with her husband (Richard Roxburgh). Lizzie can’t shake Lola’s resemblance to the infant daughter she lost some time ago, soon growing obsessed with finding ways to be in the girl’s presence, using a casual friendship with Claire to keep up appearances. As she gradually begins to break boundaries with her behavior, Lizzie is challenged by her loved ones, who fear she’s broken when she simply knows she’s right, hoping to reclaim what was stolen from her.

“Angel of Mine” identifies Lizzie’s mental fracture right off the bat, introducing her as a semi-involved parent newly challenged by Mike, who’s looking to change their custody agreement after witnessing a decline in his ex-wife. Such intent infuriates her, knowing that this action will return focus to her sanity, which hasn’t been stable since she survived a horrible accident that left her with scars on her back and took away her child. The details of this event are slowly portioned out in the screenplay, creating a mystery with the character’s backstory, but her shredded nerves aren’t hidden from view, watching Lizzie barely contain her agitation as she tries to put on a happy face for Thomas, only to endure his criticisms of her poor parent performance.

Once Lizzie spots Lola at the birthday party, “Angel of Mine” graduates from a domestic drama to tale of obsession, with the little girl resembling the baby she lost and the normalcy that was erased. Lizzie wants to get close to Lola, to get a handle on the possible reality of this reunion, using kindness with Claire as her ticket into the household, showing interest in her personal life and the upcoming sale of their home, which presents a ticking clock for the story. Director Kim Farrant (“Strangerland”) exceeds with small moments of focus, as Lizzie can’t help herself when it comes to being with Lola, sneaking away to ice skate with the child, visit her ballet recital, and take her on a boat ride, immersed in her regenerated caretaker role, which soon gives Claire a case of the creeps. Also teased is a shot of Lizzie’s dangerous fantasy life, imagining a rescue scenario for Lola, making her the protective parent she always wanted to be.

Angel of Mine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation supports the intimate visual needs of the feature, which favors close-ups. Such tight cinematography delivers interesting clarity with facial surfaces, securing subtle emotional exposure and more pronounced reactions to growing trouble. The softness of youth and the hardness of trauma are easily communicated, along with suburban settings, as decoration is open for study, along with neighborhood distances. Colors are capable, favoring a cool palette to reinforce Lizzie's isolation, with a bluer sense of the world. Brighter hues are available during celebratory scenes, including birthday parties and dance recitals. Costuming also brings out more defined wear for Lizzie as her investigation continues. Delineation is acceptable. Some mild banding is detected during the viewing event.

Angel of Mine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix creates an immersive understanding of the main character's experience with possible insanity, delivering crisp performance beats with sharp dialogue exchanges, picking up on elements of urgency and panic. Atmospherics are enveloping, with a circular sense of neighborhood activity and domestic movement, secured with some mild separation effects. Scoring needs are met, with a driving sense of tension and appreciable instrumentation. Low-end isn't robust, but violence carries some weight.

Angel of Mine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (9:38, HD) is a brief overview of the "Angel of Mine" production experience, featuring interviews with cast and crew (conducted on-set). Topics include character, themes, story, casting, direction, and cinematography.

• Interviews (all HD) include Kim Farrant (10:45), Noomi Rapace (4:21), Yvonne Strahovski (4:35), Luke Evans (3:24), Richard Roxburgh (3:48), and Annika Whitelely (2:40).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:32, HD) is included.

Angel of Mine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are only two possible resolutions for "Angel of Mine," with Lizzie either losing her mind completely or in touch with a dangerous situation of manipulation. There's a definite resolution to the feature, which comes off a tad pat considering how grim Lizzie's traumatic life becomes while in the throes of her manic behavior. Most interesting is Rapace's commitment to the part, where she delivers a full-body unraveling, and the screenplay's understanding of Lizzie's depth of mourning, missing everything she was before she lost her baby. There are passages of thriller and stalker cinema, teases of B-moviemaking, but "Angel of Mine" truly connects when it examines the psychological extent of the lead character's pain and her gradually unstoppable determination to repair all that was once cruelly ruined.