L'Empreinte de l'ange
Country of Origin: France
Primary Audio Language: French
Director: Safy Nebbou
Film Length: 1hr 35m
Synopsis: Elsa Valentin (Catherine Frot) is in the middle of a brutal divorce and custody battle when she is struck by the appearance of a pretty young girl named Lola (Héloïse Cunin). Her interest in the child grows to an obsession, and she finds any possible excuse to be near her. When Lola's mother, Claire (Sandrine Bonnaire), grows unnerved by all this, Elsa admits she believes Lola is the daughter she thought she had lost in a hospital fire seven years ago, and wants to find a way to prove it.
Star Rating: ★★★★★
Review: Inspired by true events, this is an emotional psycho-stalker film that shows the harrowing events one family goes through when their daughter becomes the obsession of a disturbed woman.
Although the premise of this movie comes across as something you could find on Lifetime, the powerful acting of both main actresses elevates this film far beyond a typical TV movie of the week filled with melodramatics and taps into the depth and power of true maternal grief and despair.
[Minor Spoilers] The two women, Elsa and Claire, get pushed beyond the edges of sanity and physically try to tear each other apart at one point, and it such an astounding depiction of primal desperation, the acting level of which I can't say I've witnessed in too many other films, and certainly none American.
American films tend to be more over-played, but this movie is more subtle. It's taut, filled with tension and expertly paced. This makes the emotional breaking point the two women reach even more powerful, and it brought a genuine feel to the true limits of human emotions.
Despite the strong beginning of the film, the ending does leave a bit to be desired. Satisfying closure in way of the after effects from the main events in the film are somewhat lacking, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm the sort of person who always wants more, if that's a common theme within French films, or the movie is just missing that little extra something.
Overall, the movie was interesting and emotionally gripping, and with wonderful acting, but not really something that speaks out to me on an exceptional level. As someone who leans towards the action/sci-fi genre, it just wasn't as much my thing, but anybody who loves a gripping familial story will love this movie.
Available On: Hulu
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