Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

severine rubis I watched this story years ago and discovered the youth of Janet Frame and i was glad at the beginning. The beginning where we can see Janet as a little girl is full of life and animated.The little red-haired actress is funny with her hair and malice even if she has bad times at school especially with her teacher who punishes her for stealing money..We can see that Janet is oppressed and has no friends..So sad but she keeps her good mood and discovers books and literature and soon develops a passion for books and poems..then she is an adolescent and loves writing poems and studying but her life is marred by two tragedies ,the death of two of her siblings in a horrible way.She begins to change and feel depressed with maybe a feeling of guilt..Then in the next part Janet grew up and is a young adult portrayed by Kerry fox but things are getting complicated.Janet must work and begins to teach but she is awfully shy ,in a sick way and she has outbursts of anguish.Unfortunately she will be admitted in a psychiatrist ward and stay there for 8 years totally cut off from the outside world and considered like an abnormal person but she will continue to write which will save her. After this time i got bored of this film because it was too long and the character of Janet is quite lonely which made me think of a pathological woman ,unable to communicate and almost autistic. I think that this movie is sincerely too long and 30 minutes less would have been enough with a good end because the end is difficult to understand.It isn't a family movie neither like an entertainment but a study of character ,a psychological movie with oppressive moments.

Andy (film-critic) Campion's work throughout the years has been inspirational, dark, moving, and powerful. Her ability to bring characters alive through words, actions, and emotions cannot be matched by many directors in Hollywood today. For this critic, her work is reminiscent of a female Lars von Trier, in which her ability to bring these larger than life characters out of their shell transforms them into darkened characters which evoke inspiring (yet saddening) events. As I watched "An Angel at my Table", I was reminded of Bess' journey with her husband, and consequentially her life, in Trier's "Breaking the Waves". Campion, without a doubt, is a director that stands on her own two feet and this film is pure example of that. To begin, Campion's direction is flawless. This is nearly a three-hour long biography of Janet Frame's life from young girl to the author she became. For some directors this may create an opportunity to enhance other characters, to trivialize smaller events so that we can do bigger things, or to just push along, very slowly, until we all nod off from boredom. Believe me; I have sat through my fare share of stunningly dull biopics. Campion proves she is better by breaking the film into three segments (three parts of Frame's autobiography), giving us amazing imagery coupled with a brisk pace that doesn't loose any of its translation or excitement. Her use of colors, the boldness of Frame's red hair, the powerful background of New Zealand (and eventually Europe) challenges us to pay closer attention, giving us not just a story worthy of our minds, but also our eyes and heart. The colors also provide a vivid counterpoint to the harsh realities of what Frame faces, her fears and her erroneous placement into hospital.I thought this film was flawless, thus I can continue to babble on about how much I enjoyed Campion's film technique and style. She allowed us to make our own decisions on Frame, but also filmed in a style that never cramped our viewing space. We were never forced to just focus on Frame, but we did because Kerry Fox gave us this pure, uncut portrayal of Janet Frame. Due to this originally being filmed for New Zealand television, I can only assume it eliminated Fox from being nominated for an Academy Award, but she 100%, who heartedly, hands-down deserved it. Her performance, from someone I had never seen before, was phenomenal. She literally transformed herself into this character, every step that Fox took on screen she was taking it in the way that (we can only assume) Frame would do it as well. What I am trying to say is that while I never saw Janet Frame herself, Fox never went out of the character we were first introduced to. Fox's Frame grew with each frame, exposing herself differently to us and giving us a new side of her each time. Again, I am drooling on myself, but "An Angel at my Table" is one of those films that should be watched by film students eager to learn how to get into the mind of their characters. This would prove to them that there is more than just what is written on the page, and fully demonstrating how to bring a soul into a man-made story. Kerry Fox was everything you wanted to see on screen, she was emotional, sensitive, caring, unquestionably curious, scared, and yet completely and utterly human. Coupled with Campion's direction, the two take what could have been a bland film and transformed it into one of the greatest performances over the past 20 years.For what other reasons should you watch this film? If you aren't as impressed with the direction or Fox's performance, Criterion packs the DVD with plenty of bonus features, but as well as an amazing transfer. The sound, the music of Frame's life, is breathtaking. It accompanies the vision and Fox's actions perfectly. The song sung by the sisters on the beach of New Zealand still remains with me today, nearly four days after my viewing of this film. The other actors are very good in this film, alas; I cannot say anything further because my focus was entirely captured on Kerry Fox. Yes, she was that amazing. The bonus features on this disc, as mentioned before, are great to learn more about how Campion directed this film as well as her thoughts via an audio commentary. In essence, the Criterion release of this film is the only way to watch this. It is a flawless disc for a flawless film. I am excited and proud to have this within my catalogue of films.Overall, in case you haven't been paying attention this entire time, "An Angel at my Table" was nothing short of perfection. When I raise this film up to other biography based films, there isn't one that compares. Campion's work continues to impress as she grows, developing her strengths in other genres, and pushing actors to new limits beyond what we expect, i.e. though battered by critics, see Meg Ryan's performance in "In the Cut". "An Angel at my Table" has a perfect blend of score, outstanding visuals, enthralling storytelling, and again, this powerful ability to control her actors and expect nothing less than their best. Kerry Fox should be studied by students in this film, Campion's direction glides this actor from scene to scene, but Fox carries it all on her shoulders, with pride and with power. This was not an easy film to create, but with Campion and Fox behind the helm what could have been a very dull, overly dramatic biography on the great Janet Frame, transformed into this staple of modern cinema, a map (so to speak) for others who wish to create films based on real people – "An Angel at my Table" would lead you straight to the gold. Watch it. Be impressed. Than watch it again. Rinse, wash, repeat.Grade: ***** out of *****

awillawill 158 minutes long – and for what? A quarter of the scenes could have been dropped because they took the story nowhere. Many of the remaining scenes applied the directorial maxim "go in late and come out early" to a destructive extreme. It was like being given clues to a cryptic crossword.To be fair, the film started well. The first 20 minutes or so were acutely observed and well acted and directed, then it began going downhill with increasing speed.It was no surprise to learn that the film is a cut-down version of a TV mini-series. I can only assume that the IMDb reviewers who enjoyed the film must have known of Janet Frame and her story. For those of us who knew neither, it was unexplained mystery piled on unexplained mystery.It could be argued that a plus for the film was that it kept me watching to the end, but believe me, that was simply because I lived in (vain) hopes that all would suddenly be clarified with a satisfactory conclusion. But no. It just left me frustrated and deeply disappointed.

taulapapa Oddly enough this is my favorite Jane Campion film. It's simply told, and the Janet Frame story comes through clearly, not with the rawness or complexity of Janet Frame's writing, but still with an honesty and beauty that is a part of what's best about great New Zealand film-making. Grant Major (Lord of the Rings) also did the design and visually it's a great reflection of what New Zealand of a certain time was like. But basically it's the story that's remarkable, dealing with how society treats the insane (it's probably a precursor and better version of Girl Interrupted), and how artists and writers find themselves.