After losing her baby in a tragic event 7 years earlier, a woman begins to lose her grip on her sanity when she begins to believe that her daughter is still alive. Check out Ralph Potts’ Blu-ray review of Angel of Mine from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )

Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )

85
Details:

Studio and Year: Lionsgate - 2019
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 98 minutes
Genre: Drama

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Yvonne Strahovski, Luke Evans, Richard Roxburgh
Directed by: Kim Farrant
Music by: Gabe Noel
Written by:Luke Davies, David Regal based on the film “L’Empreinte” by Safy Nebbou
Region Code: A

Release Date: October 22, 2019
"There Are Two Sides to Every Secret"
Synopsis:

“After losing her baby in a tragic event 7 years earlier, a woman begins to lose her grip on her sanity when she begins to believe that her daughter is still alive.” – Lionsgate Home Entertainment


My Take:

Noomi Rapace stars as a woman on the edge in Angel of Mine. Having suffered a tragic loss years earlier, Lizzie (Rapace) is trying to rebuild her life when she suddenly becomes obsessed with the daughter of one of her son’s playmates, believing the girl to be her own child. As Lizzie’s shocking, threatening acts grow increasingly dangerous, they lead to an explosive confrontation with the girl’s angry, defensive mother (Yvonne Strahovski).

I am pretty much good to go when it comes to film’s starring Noomi Rapace So, when I received the press announcement for Angel of Mine, it was no different. Based on the film “L’Empreinte” by Safy Nebbou derived from an original idea by Cyril Gomez-Mathieu, it’s a psychological thriller that paints in broad strokes. It provides a set of characters, circumstances and events clearly designed to shift the narrative in one direction. Over the course of the first two acts there is very little information on the background of Lizzy, save for the fact that she is a divorced, single mother (with a preteen son) who is struggling with strong emotional scars which apparently resulted in not only breaking up her marriage but, is threatening her relationship with her son.

The crux of acts one and two is the depiction of her attempts to get her life on track and, the sudden and seemingly inexplicable obsession she develops with the daughter of a local family. With her erratic behavior increasing everyone around her senses that she is on the brink of a complete break. During the final act more is learned about her past and what motivates her. Therein lies the film’s best moments.

Angel of Mine certainly isn’t original from a conceptual standpoint which is fine. I think that where is comes up short, at least for me, is in the establishment of an emotional connection to Lizzy. She is essentially in every scene and without proper context simply comes off as an emotional wreck that cares about only one thing, which doesn’t include her son, parents, ex-husband or herself. By the time you come to understand her, it’s so late in the game that it’s practically hard to really care. Not to mention that the explanation is as far from plausible as you’re going to get given the circumstances.

Anyway, I enjoyed the performances by Noomi and Yvonne Strahovski which added a defining element to the film. I do wish that Richard Roxburgh had more of a part though. Angel of Mine certainly isn’t bad, its just unremarkable and with a few narrative tweaks could have been quite a bit more.


Replay Value:
Parental Guide:

The rating is for language, some sexuality and brief nudity.


AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**



Audio: 80
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


  • Dynamics: 
  • Low frequency effects: 
  • Surround Sound presentation: 
  • Clarity/Detail: 
  • Dialog Reproduction: 
  • DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element): NA



Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)



  • Resolution/Clarity: 
  • Black Level/Shadow Detail: 
  • Color Reproduction: 
  • Fleshtones:
  • Compression: 



Angel of Mine comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lionsgatet Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound.

This audio/video presentation delivers very good overall quality. Images exhibits clean lines, crisp detail and warm flesh tones. It’s not razor sharp but, never looked soft or dull. Colors look natural with ample saturation and vivid textures. Black levels are above average and shadow delineation reveals good visible detail in backgrounds during low light sequences and within dark areas of the picture. I would describe the video as being in the middle of the pack and perfectly acceptable for the format.

The lossless audio presentation was essentially the same in that it wasn’t exemplary but sounded just fine. Dialogue was well articulated with clear tonal distinction. Dynamic range is never really tested by the film’s elements however, the variety of sounds within the recording have ample depth. Surround activity is limited to light spatial dimension that occasionally broadens the soundfield and seamlessly bridges the space between the front and rear sound stages. This is a dialog driven film that doesn’t require extensive use of the surround platform. In that regard it does a commendable job and sounds great.


Bonus Features:
  • Making of Angel of Mine
  • Cast/Crew Interviews
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Gallery
  • Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:

Based on the film “L’Empreinte” by Safy Nebbou derived from an original idea by Cyril Gomez-Mathieu, Angel of Mine is a middling psychological thriller that would have benefitted from a better-rounded script. It comes to Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment featuring excellent high definition video, clear lossless sound and a fair supplemental package. Angel of Mine is worth checking out if you enjoy films of its ilk, just understand that it may not provide a wholly gratifying story.

 
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from  Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems