Review of The Dreamlife of Angels (1998) by Chriss M — 13 Jul 2011

Dreamlife of Angel's is one of several "reasons" why I enjoy foreign films. It is not dependent on "star" power, computer generated images, overt violence, or scenes with fantastic stunts. What it has are characters which are richly developed, believable, showing emotions which are palpable and for whom we can care. What we find out here is simple is sometimes best.

This movie is the perfect example to see how an accomplished and talented actor makes a movie come to life and seem absolutely real, for that is what both Elodie Bouchez and Natasha Regnier achieve in this film. Which performance is better? I think that is a draw. Bouchez and Régnier shared the Best Actress award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for their work in this movie. Indeed it is hard to choose between them. Both are wonderful brilliant and more importantly real. I cannot imagine ANY Hollywood actress playing these roles. Now I don't like to be too nice about the French but this film confirms my long-held suspicion that their films are the best. They may not make as much money as US films but at least they offer something of substance. Clearly, this is not a feel-good movie. And no, it's not about beautiful people living in beautiful houses with beautiful clothes. It's about the real life of two normal people and, although that might not appear to be a recipe for a particularly fascinating film, I was enthralled. This film provides just that: a window into an aspect of humanity that leaves us feeling vulnerable. Rarely do we see a story that not only entertains and recounts events so naturally, but also reveals truths about ourselves that we're usually too cowardly to face. The delivery of the facts is so natural that we feel almost ashamed to be looking into the lives of the two main characters. Yet we remain glad we did it.