Rent My Angel (2004)

An original premise, NOT a fairy story. - My Angel review by Timetravel

I have seen writer/director Serge Frydman's Mon Ange described as a fairy story. While the premise is quite original there is nothing fantastical or improbable in the series of subsequent events.

Colette (played by Vanessa Paradis) receives a mistaken phone call from a woman she has never met who is leaving prison. As her phone credit runs out the woman begs her to pick up the woman's son and to then meet her at a train station. Eventually she agrees to pick up the boy Billy (Vincent Rottiers) but a complication arises. Billy's mother gets murdered before the three can meet at the station. The film largely focuses on the bond that forms between Colette and Billy and both Paradis and Rottiers deliver convincing performances.

I've rated this 3 out of 5 because the backstory of the mother's murder doesn't really get fleshed out. There is a villain but he isn't particularly effective nor does he get much screentime as most focus is given to the development of Collette's relationship with Billy. In fact the villain's sudden appearance later in the film is not delivered well by Frydman and comes close to stretching credibility and ruining the flow of the story.

Paradis convincingly shows the conflicting emotions of her character and Rottiers' layered performance shows Billy as likeable and also annoying which I felt gave the character authenticity considering Billy's life experiences. I bought into the relationship.

Although the premise is unusual the resulting events are plausible. Strange things do happen to people in this world and it is interesting to see how characters deal with life changing events.

NOT a fairy story but certainly a film worth watching.