Friday, April 1, 2016

A is for: An Angel At My Table

I somehow missed the 'introduce your theme' day a week or so ago, so allow me to do so now...  My theme for this year's A-Z Challenge is New Zealand films.  I'm not sure there are enough films to get from A-Z, but we'll give it a shot!

Enjoy!

An Angel At My Table (1990)
Director: Jane Campion
Writer: Laura Jones
Producer: Bridget Ikin
Stars: Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson




Dame Jane Campion, 2014 Cannes Jury President and twice winner of the Palme d'Or, brings to the screen the harrowing true-life story of Janet Frame, New Zealand's most distinguished author.

This striking film has become a well-deserved classic. It traces the life of author Janet Frame, from her childhood as an outsider in a comfortable family, through the awkwardness of adolescence and young-adulthood. Painfully shy, she finds socializing painful. When she freezes under the glare of a school inspector during her first job as a teacher, a series of doctors misdiagnose her as schizophrenic, sending her on a torturous journey through New Zealand’s arcane mental health system.

Two-hundred electro-shock treatments later, she is released and wins a grant to study overseas, and in Spain, she finds a community amidst a group of artists and writers. Destined to always be a little odd, she becomes more comfortable with life and her role in it, and her creativity flourishes.

Simply told with a quiet beauty, this is a wholly absorbing film that will capture you from its very first moments and never let you go. Its focus on the details of a single life make it a compelling and absorbing journey.

I re-watched this in 2015 for the first time since I saw it at a film festival in the early 1990s and was surprised how much I enjoyed it - and how much I had forgotten. I was also surprised at how little time was spent on the mental hospital scenes because I remembered them being much more significant and harrowing.

16 comments:

  1. My husband's brother had EST and he was never the same. I'm sure in qualified & modern hands it has its uses, but I bet it laid waste to many lives in earlier times. Sounds like a cool film. Reminds me of that Temple Grandin film (autism). That was an excellent one. :)

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  2. I couldn't imagine living through the emotional trauma of a mental health mis-diagnosis. How truly truly awful. I can well understand how this would be a film with enormous impact. Thanks for this post; it gives a clear and concise review!

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  3. Jane Campion creates such beautiful films. I need to track this one down!

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  4. its nice
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  5. Shock treatments, scary. That poor woman. Being so shy is always treated as "weird"...

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  6. I've never heard of this movie but Jane Campion is so talented I've no doubt it is a good one. It's sad and frightening to think about these shock treatments.

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  7. I've worked in mental health for years --so glad this film was made

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  8. This will certainly be interesting, being immersed in the films of a country that doesn't often get exposure here in the States...

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  9. I'd say I've never heard of this movie, but I expect that will be true of all 26 movies you feature, Kate. I look forward to being educated on New Zealand's film history. This one sounds a bit harrowing, but interesting nevertheless.

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  10. I love your theme. I am always looking for new films to see and I know nothing about New Zealand films. I know the Lord of the Rings films were made there, but beyond that, not much else. I can't wait to see what you come up with when we get to letters like X. This is great.

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  11. What a wonderful theme. I don't watch a lot of movies these days, but this sounds so interesting. I love that you'll be giving us a peek at New Zealand films!

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  12. What a great theme! I lived in New Zealand for five years, so this is of particular interest to me.

    Cheers - Ellen | http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/2016/04/b-is-for-boatyard-nancy-drew.html

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  13. I like your theme. I'm not familiar with many NZ films so this will be a real treat.

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  14. That poor woman. Having to endure shock treatments and other horrors. I'm glad she is able to find some measure of happiness/success in the end. Interesting theme!

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  15. This is a great theme for the challenge, I love learning about films that aren't from the USA or UK.
    Angel at My Table is actually on my to-watch list as I'm taking part in the #52FilmsByWomen challenge this year :)
    Good luck with the rest of the challenge!
    My theme for the A-Z Challenge is my favourite fictional characters at ElenaSquareEyes.

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