Angel

The best way to describe Angel is as a slice-of-life film in the truest sense of the term; the movie follows two characters – a troubled street youth named Angel (Jonan Everett) and Nicole (Rachel Griffiths), a compassionate social worker – over a short period of time that isn’t particularly eventful, and ends as abruptly as it started. What the film does have going for it, then, are a pair of exceedingly intriguing performances – as both Griffiths and Everett effectively transform themselves into these incredibly flawed characters. Director Jim McKay imbues the movie with the jittery look of a documentary, a choice that captures the almost mundane reality of his screenplay. In that respect, though, the filmmaker occasionally goes a tad overboard (there are two sequences in which we watch characters literally stand around and eat). Still, there’s a palpable feeling of authenticity at work here that prevents the movie from becoming a flat-out bore (there’s no denying, though, that Angel has been designed to appeal to a very specific – and very patient – audience).

**1/2 out of ****