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Psycho kissers >> Angel Baby takes on the love of lunatics by MATTHEW HAYS
Angel Baby, Aussie Michael Rymer's directorial debut, holds little or no dramatic tension. It's pretty darn clear from the get-go that these two are headed for doom. But that's not really the point; Rymer, who also scripted, hand-picked two extremely talented actors (John Lynch and Jacqueline McKenzie) who carry Angel Baby with grace. Kate and Harry's romance seems to be just the pill they need. They decide to move in to their own apartment together, and everything is going swimmingly until Kate announces her pregnancy. Their family and doctors urge the two to opt for abortion, but Kate, who gets psychic messages while watching the Aussie version of Wheel of Fortune, is convinced the baby holds the spirit of her guardian angel, Astral. Blessing or no, the baby will be born. In the same year that Angel Baby was made (1995), Hollywood tried to produce a film with a similar kind of theme. Mad Love was a noble effort, and though Drew Barrymore was insanely well-cast, the script was so bland as to smother the entire effort. Angel Baby's script, though superior, also lacks sufficient complexity. There are plenty of nifty point-of-view camera angles when people start having attacks, as expected. And the sex scenes appear to indicate that schizoids make better lovers and looney tunes have more fun. Rymer shoots them in a sultry rock-video fashion. Though it apparently breaks some sort of U.N. convention to say anything negative about a film from Australia, beneath the snappy camera work and intense performances there's something decidedly shallow about Angel Baby. The story is deeply contrived and a sense of deja vu permeates the entire film. Angel Baby feels like a cross between a first feature and an actor's exercise; the actors' work is outstanding but the script still needs plenty of work. Opens Friday, Dec. 5 at the Cinéma du Parc. See repertory listings for showtimes
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When Kate and Harry meet, there's no doubt their romance will be unusual. Both are suffering from various mental problems, and Harry is tuned in to Kate's wavelength when he spots the scars on her wrist. Their bond grows immediately out of a shared sense of survival in a sane world. After they've met in their therapy group, they trot off on a romantic walk and are soon shagging in an alleyway to the rhythm of a rather overbearing musical score.