Angelica (2015) User Reviews

Lacking Balance

[tributarystu · 4/10 · 7 February 2015]

It is unfortunate that Angelica lacks the bite of Lichtenstein's previous film, Teeth - excuse the terrible pun. Despite exploring the similar theme of women empowerment through sexual control, the humor misses its mark, leaving the shell of irony in its place. The fitting Victorian background to this tale, well captured throughout, does not suffice to make the film worth recommending.

The story tells us of a mother's confession, Constance, who while lying on her deathbed admits to harbouring a dark secret from her daughter, Angelica. We go back to Angelica's conception as the fruit of a healthy, passionate marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Barton, which sadly leaves the to-be mother in a state that does not allow her to go through another childbirth. With contraception methods poorly at hand, that leaves abstinence as the sole means of ensuring Constance's good health. This results in a gaping void between the pair, where passion is replaced by restrained desire and mutual frustration. Moreover, as she faces her guilt of both being immoral in her pursuits and incapable of pleasing herself and her husband, a dark presence appears that plagues her nights, as she looks to protect her daughter.

Unfortunately, the obstacles in turning the source novel into a novel film offering fails on most counts. First and foremost, in finding the thin line between clever irreverence and irrelevance, guarding the experience of the film as either something frightening, or something comical. Perhaps Drag Me to Hell highlights what this looks like when done successfully - and even in such a case, opinions are divided. Secondly, Jenna Malone labours to offer a conflicted performance as a British 19th century wife, but her efforts are consistently undermined as she appears around characters ridiculous in features or in speech. Finally, it's hard to feel for the fate of Constance and Angelica, as they fail to be more than the sum of this movie's parts - mundane and full of painful restraint.

Lichtenstein is not able to find a balance in this story, mixing modern morality into his somber settings, thereby loosening the movie's grip of its characters. The rare moments of authentic playfulness or artfulness are drowned in an otherwise typical period piece, that looks fine - and that's about it.

Strong craft, good ideas, insufficient realization

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 21 November 2022]

Truthfully, I found this one a little difficult. In all the fundamentals of its craft this is terrific; the production design, art direction, costume design, hair and makeup, lighting, cinematography, and effects are each absolutely marvelous, a feast for the eyes and furthermore realizing Victorian London with stark richness. The fabulously detailed visual presentation alone is superb and lends substantial value to the film - as is also the case with the acting. It's a swell cast assembled here, and they all give strong performances, not least Jena Malone who from a very young age has proven again and again the nuance, range, and skill she possesses. If nothing else is true about 'Angelica,' Malone is outstanding here, commanding the primary role as if she were born for it. I'm further wonderfully pleased with Janet McTeer's warm, steady acting as Anne Montague, breathing splendid life into a supporting role that's written with tremendous heart and wit.

All this is well and good. Such advantages, however, great as they might be, do not carry the picture in and of themselves. This is a little hard to swallow from the outset, what with the historical and period-appropriate but nevertheless extremely ugly prominence of antiquated values: classism, sexism, moralizing snobbery religious and otherwise, dashes of racism, animal cruelty (a content warning is necessary for the latter), all of which is in some manner geared toward pushing down women and reinforcing patriarchy and the notion that "it's a man's world." Abiding these as we can for the sake of the feature, more significant is that plot development feels all too loose and scattered for a preponderance of the runtime, going nowhere fast. Lovely as the visuals may be, so soporific is the advancement of the narrative that I actually did fall asleep at one point while watching (I at least had the foresight to pause). Only very slowly does the story solidify, communicating the paramount importance of those same noted themes after all - yet that solid state is less a singular dense ball than it is a hollow holiday ornament, the type that resembles a cage with a bell or some other doodad inside. At its most complete, the substance 'Angelica' has to offer still doesn't feel like it.

It's a little creepy at times, or infuriating or emotionally investing as we readily sympathize with protagonist Constance. Not least in the character of Anne, there is also light here. All the best strength the film has to offer, though, seems insufficient to elevate it to a higher level. My predominant sentiment is that I want to say I like this more than I do on account of Malone and McTeer, the intelligence and sincerity in the writing, and the hard work of all those behind the camera. But somehow there's a breakdown here between filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein's writing and direction, such that the latter struggles to give impactful, meaningful shape to the former. This is regrettable, since I know what he's capable of; 2007 horror romp 'Teeth' was genuinely brilliant as it in some measure explored similar territory from a different angle. Maybe the more restrained approach to 'Angelica' resulted in overcompensation? In any event, I still look forward to what Lichtenstein may do next, and it's not that this is bad - it just doesn't achieve the desired effect, I don't think.

This is most recommendable if you're an utmost fan of someone involved. I do also believe it's worth watching on its own merits. Any suggested viewing is necessarily paired, however, with the caveat that the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts, just not entirely coming together with all possible success. I ultimately like 'Angelica'; would that it had achieved in its storytelling what it did in its film-making.

Intriguing

[lynnbarr-99398 · 6/10 · 15 September 2018]

The movie is not a ghost story but is quite intriguing. It explores the morals of sexual behavior in Victorian England and the main character Constance who after a difficult childbirth is discouraged by her doctor's to have any more children even to go as far as not having sex at all. Its seems she slowly goes insane but very overprotective to- words her daughter. She sees germ like creatures floating around her daughter's room which only she can see and almost burns down her house trying to destroy them. Is it the guilt of not having a sexual relationship with her husband that driving her to invent these creatures? It is a very strange movie which you're going to enjoy or hate I personally enjoyed it. Constance's final act of madness in which she makes love on the bed with the creature ends in her husband's death. It's not a fast paced movie but you do get caught up in the life of Constance and her slow descent into madness or another scenario can she actually see the germ like creature and nobody else can, you'll have to decide.

starts with great promise

[watcher2019 · 2/10 · 15 January 2021]

Ends up such a failure. Just does not deliver. Silly story in the end about an imaginaery lover which is seen as a threat and something to do away with. Mostly suppossed to be about female oppressions and sexual desire which is unfulfilled . Lack of communication. I found after the first 45 mins boring boring boring and samey. Who didnt guess? Really?

lovely wallpaper

[benrostul · 10 July 2018]

I've just seen this on dvd, rented from my local library, so I didn't spend much on it. It's probably one of the worst films on dvd this year. Extraordinarily boring, completely without horror, if horror's your thing. It isn't mine, but I don't mind watching if the rest of the film around the horror is worthwhile. This isn't. I rented it because Janet McTeer's in it, but even so it's simply not worth watching. Great sets by Luciana Arrighi. Beautiful wallpaper, steals the show.

Waste of time really

[paulsnellps · 3/10 · 25 October 2018]

I'm not a big fan of horror films any more but I do like TV shows like Penny Dreadful and I was hoping for something in that vein. This film is not that. The two highpoints of the the film are the initial romantic relationship between Joseph and Constance Barton and then the brief part of the film when Anne Montague enters the story and her relationship with Constance. Both these parts of this film give hope that you may see a terrifying fall from grace or a total downward spiral into madness from any of the characters. Instead our punishment as the audience is boredom.

On a Victorian theme to sum this whole movie up....its like looking at a really nice Christmas Tree with really authentic decorations only to realise the actual tree itself is just a cheap plastic mock up.

Don't waste your life.

[Claire-E-90 · 1/10 · 27 August 2021]

Honestly, I have never before watched such drivel. You get a feel from the very start that it is going to be bad, but you cannot know how much. There isn't much background given to the characters, there is not much of a storyline to build on. The actors - especially Malone - offer very poor performance. I am guessing that is the director because Malone can deliver in other roles I have seen. There is no horror, just constant waiting for something worthwhile to happen; and I am sorry to say it doesn't. Having Malone play her daughter as an adult was a poor choice too. I will say, the Victorian setting was beautiful, but that's all I've got.

I Can Take Everything Everyone's Said and Agree, But

[Mehki_Girl · 6/10 · 19 May 2023]

... Yes this could have been so much better and yes this is a horror film if you are willing to admit that women are and have been oppressed around the world... Yes, by men.

You have to be a woman to understand. Sometimes it's how you feel.

The young couple, is a husband, a bit of a snob who thinks he's above "animal" instincts and likes pretending he's British, with a "healthy" sexual appetite and a somewhat naive wife who very willingly gives in to her husband's desires and thoroughly enjoys herself - as it should be. Her husband doesn't appear to condemn his wife for enjoying their sex as much as he does.

She gets pregnant and almost dies in childbirth. Enter old prudish, Victorian, patriarchal "doctors", who are still barely more than witch doctors, who blame the wife for almost dying and cow her and her husband into foregoing sex, lest she selfishly die and leave her family. And what kind of selfish woman wouldn't deny her natural urges and sexual pleasure so she can continue to live and serve her man and child? Of course, hubby is told he's free to continue a sex life.

Hubby, wanting to believe he's above having sex with, um, working girls does want to continue sex with his wife.

Meanwhile, wifey, just like many modern women find that being mommy during the day and sexual vixen at night is a little much. Suddenly hubby's "healthy" appetite for sex is a burden in the face of this most wonderful creature she produced, who needs her way more than another adult and with whom she's fallen in love. Men come and go, but children are forever.

Meanwhile, hubby is h* as all getout, but husband's needs no longer weigh against the needs of her child.

She takes to making excuses to go to her daughter's room at night. But she also as great fears.

And here is where the movie starts to fail. The daughter actually seems well adjusted, without night terrors or even fear of the dark and so it's mom's fears without any reason that we can see. All wet get is yet another hysterical woman hovering over her children and uncaring men.

Eyeroll...

And that really doesn't serve the movie.

Give. Us. A. Reason. Only a hint is fine! But give us something to work with!

Why is she afraid? Is it, ingeneral because she knows what's in store? Because children often died (not to mention unseen threats, like that lethal Victorian wallpaper and little undseeable lethal microbes everywhere)? I mean one could die from one of those haughty paternalistic know-everything doctors not washing their filthy hands.

And watch out! Hubby can also send you off to the loony bin on his say so!

So, without any friends or recourse and the constant threat of death, and without a husband who understands, or the ability to seek comfort from hubby lest it turn into an unwanted romp in the hay, poor Con starts seeing things in her daughter's bedroom that appear to be those unseeable lethal microbes, which take on a man shape threatening the daughter.

Daughter sleeps on, unfazed while mom gets crazier and crazier.

Finally, her sanity is saved by a would be con artist with a heart of gold. A much needed genuine friendship is formed and Con hatches a plan to finally get rid of the gory bestie that only she can see.

This movie would have be great in better hands. It could have hinted at much more. Personally, like another reviewer, I think daddykins was willing to seek any port in the storm for his "beastly" desires, but Con couldn't quite conceive of such a monstrosity... Sensed it, yes, but couldn't conceive of it and so a beast was born.

What do you think?

Angelica

[henry8-3 · 4/10 · 20 September 2020]

Victorian England - Newlyweds Malone and Stoppard have a daughter, Angelica, and soon afterwards supernatural events have a significant impact on the mother.

Despite a compelling performance from Malone and a an atmosphere capturing both Victorian society and the spookiness quite nicely, in the end this is actually rather tedious. McTeer's presence adds to the interest, but she seems to making a more typical ghost story, which this is not and whilst the ultimate pay off is interesting and not wholly unexpected, since they've been using to right tools of the trade in making this you do yearn for the film McTeer is making.

Rubbish

[andylev-40916 · 1/10 · 6 September 2021]

Avoid. Terrible overacting awful story. Soft porn? Sort of. Horror? Not scary.

A Gothic psychological thriller with many turns.....

[wildsparrow16 · 8/10 · 18 November 2017]

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!

I thought this movie was quite brilliant. What I thought would be a classic ghost story was a tale of madness, a dissolving marriage, female repression and uprising, and ultimately - about how far a parent will go to protect their child. This begins in a beautiful Victorian setting with a new and passionate marriage. As with many women during that time, she nearly dies in childbirth and must never have sex again because getting pregnant again would probably kill her. Eventually, this causes their union to deteriorate. She also learns of his "profession", which is not quite as noble as once presumed. This causes her to retreat further from the relationship. The "flying man" ghost begins to appear always in the daughter's bedroom. I do believe the husband was committing incest, and because she cannot fathom such an atrocity, she creates monsters in the room - this is just my opinion, and not necessarily a spoiler. Eventually, she seeks the help of a spiritualist and their bond becomes strong, reminiscent of the two women in The Crimson Petal and the White (also set in Victorian London) - one weak, the other strong - a rescuer. There is a theme in this movie of "protection". The word is used often in reference to different characters. In the end of the movie, we see the someone protecting the one they love most in all the world. I really enjoyed this movie.

Nothing supernatural or gothic about it!

[victorialnunn · 1/10 · 30 March 2024]

Shockingly dull victorian film, nothing happens for the first 60 minutes and very little after. Basically a victorian lady goes mad when she can't have sex with her husband. Ridiculous amount of sex scenes which add nothing at all to the story and just become a little uncomfortable. Quite where they got gothic and supernatural from I don't know. Something being set in Victoria times does not make it gothic, and this film has no gothic tropes at all. As for supernatural it's obvious from the beginning that anything she sees is in her own mind and not supernatural. By the end of the film there is nothing to suggest otherwise. If you absolutely need to waste 90 minutes of your life here it is.

Boo

[skylerisaac · 9/10 · 30 May 2019]

One of the best dramas I've ever seen. The story is well crafted, the cinematography and set design are both beautiful. The acting is solid throughout.

I found every second of this film to be riveting. It's a damn fine film that will have you pondering its intricacies and subtleties long after the credits have rolled.