A RUMOR OF ANGELS

A film review by Joe Rickey

Supernatural films are quite numerous these days. Ever since The Sixth Sense was a huge box office hit Hollywood has decided that the public wants anything and everything related to the supernatural. Films like the recent Dragonfly and The Mothman Prophecies are performing okay at the box office. CBS even has a TV movie with Ted Danson coming in April with a title something like Talking to the Dead. Veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave has even found herself starring in yet another supernatural film, A Rumor of Angels.

This sentimental film concerns the unlikely friendship between a troubled young boy and a wise old woman. The supernatural angle of whether the elder woman is an angel comes into the film's plot later on. The film has effective and engaging performances by leads Vanessa Redgrave and Trevor Morgan. Young Morgan has quickly become one of the most talented but under appreciated child actors of this generation. The film is also successful in its portrayal of family drama. Other recent films about family drama such as In the Bedroom have been praised and A Rumor of Angels should be no different.

A Rumor of Angels should also be lauded for its choice to explore the strain relationships between elder people and children. These two groups of people have such radically different interests that they can often have trouble getting along with one another. A Rumor of Angels is the first film that I have seen to delve into this somewhat novel topic. The film also handles the situation that comes right after a person close to you dies quite well. It illustrates the mixture of emotions that a person in that situation can often feel.

It's unfortunate then that A Rumor of Angels occasionally lapses into some prolonged bouts with too much sentimental material. This fact may be enough to turn some viewers off the film totally. That would be very unfortunate because A Rumor of Angels is really a solid film.

Rating: 86

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