Love Beyond Sight
Angel (Mon Ange) is a Belgian romantic film directed by Harry Cleven in 2016, blending fantasy and reality into a captivating love story. The achingly beautiful film tells the story of love, identity, and the bonds connecting people in a surreal manner.
Every facet of the film is deeply humane, and with the use of poetic imagery and a mesmerizing soundtrack, it puts you in a dimension where sight is rendered irrelevant. The emotional connections people share are powerful enough to be felt even in silence, and that is the idea the film explores.
✨ CAST & CHARACTERS – A VISIBLY INVISIBLE LOVE
⭐ Elina Löwensohn as Louise Louise was left alone after her magician lover abandoned her. She went to a mental institute after he disappeared, and when she had a child that was extraordinary, she turned into a guardian and a prisoner of a lifelong secret.
⭐ Maya Dory as Madeleine (Teen) Madeleine has been blind all her life, so she interprets the world around her through sound and touch. When she meets Angel, she feels an instantaneous emotional connection. Her love is unaffected by/image, until she regains her sight.
⭐ Fleur Geffrier as Madeleine (Adult)
Madeleine continues to uphold the memory of a boy that no one else could visualize, even years after they parted ways. Her heart is entrapped in questions as she embarks on a quest to unearth a love that she has been unable to articulate.
⭐ François Vincentelli as Angel’s Father
A curious silhouette who disappeared before Angel was born. The mirage of his mystery and illusion continues to impact the lives of those who remain.
📝 THE STORY – To the World He Doesn’t Exist, To Her He’s Everything
Once the partner of the magician disappears, Louise finds herself in a psychiatric institution where she spends the remainder of her days. During her confinement, she gives birth to a son named Angel who is fundamentally invisible. To keep him safe from scorn and terror, she brings him up in silence and shrouded in secrecy.
The existence of Angel is limited to the parameters of their concealed world; that is, until he comes across Madeleine, a blind girl who may not have the ability to see him with her eyes, but rather, in her heart. He receives the acceptance and affection that he craves from her. Their bond mutually evolves from preadolescents to adolescents.
But everything changes. Madeleine has her vision restored through a surgical procedure and angel, who is afraid that she will no longer love him when she realizes that he is different, decides to disappear from her life.
The two of them come face to face after several years, and in this moment filled with anxiety and nostalgia, questions arise in their minds. Will their love blossom in a world in which he is still unseen? Or will Angel’s truth destroy all that was pure between the two of them?
What If You Could Love Without Seeing? serves as the guiding phrase.
Invisibility & Identity sorely raises the question as to what can define an individual other than their depiction. Angel’s invisibility turns out to be both a blessing and a curse in a sight-centric society.
Perception- Madeleine and Angel embody love that does not depend on sight, urging us to reconsider how we look at one another.
Rejection anxiety- For,’ sacrificing self-worth to the lie that he is not enough defines ‘Angel’s journey.
The movie is nothing less than a visual wonder. While shooting the series Juliette Van Dormael said, “I don’t believe it’s a good idea to use your eyes too much,” which further demonstrates the understated cinematographic style of the film- soft light intertwined with other-worldly textures overtaking visuals. It sure does feel like watching a dream. The enchanting strings of of whispers and movements are accompanied by George Alexander van Dam’s music, guiding the emotional undertones of the story letting it flow unobstructed.
The film starts with the elegance of a fairytale and ends with covering the deeper senses of human desire and loneliness.
🏆 AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Angel has won a lot of acclaim at the 8th Magritte Awards and managed to get the following nominations and awards:
🏆 Most Promising Actress – Maya Dory (Winner)
🎥 Best Cinematography – Juliette Van Dormael
🏛 Best Production Design – Luc Noël
The film’s narrative was also rewarded for its innovation on the intersection of romance, fantasy, and reality.
🧨 FINAL VERDICT
Angel (2016) captures poignant emotions, deeming the film a modern fairytale reflecting humanity’s simplest fears, “to be seen and admired for who we actually are.” The film is directed to those who dare to daydream, who love unlike any other, and to those who understand that the finest relationships are formed with otherworldly depths beneath the skin.
It binds more than just incredible invisibility – the film explores the unseen threads that tell our stories.