In a dramatic setup that recalls the opening act of Robert Wise's chiller Audrey Rose (1977), Sandrine Bonnaire (Monsieur Hire) stars as Claire, a mother terrified by the discovery that a strange woman has begun systematically following her little girl, locked within the grip of obsession. In the mean time, we learn more about the other woman, Elsa (Catherine Frot) - an emotionally imbalanced mother locked in a divorce battle for custody of her young son, who finds herself almost magnetically
drawn to Claire's little girl after innocently glimpsing the child at a local birthday party. She's drawn not merely to observe, but to covet and ultimately possess, which sends Claire into a maelstrom of terror as she feels compelled to confront and contend with this threatening new presence, and to obtain an answer that will account for the woman's seemingly irrational behavior. But in time, it is Claire whose behavior begins to seem off-center, as she demonstrates a growing paranoia and a willingness to go to almost any length to protect herself and the little girl. Throughout the film, director Safy Nebbou plunges headfirst into a deceptively innocent and placid domestic realm of subdivisions, nursery schools and children's parks while subtly unveiling the potential for devastation that lies beneath all of it. The title phrase - "mark of an angel" - refers to the tiny indentation above the upper lip of each newborn baby, said to be an angel's thumbprint that makes each child unique. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
In the proverbial perfect world, the highly prolific and award-winning French actress Catherine Frot would be as acclaimed on this side of the Atlantic as many of her compatriots.
With its subject matter, it could have easily delved into the depths of a TV movie of the week filled with melodramatics and distant characterizations.
A lot of effort is put into an intriguing first half by writer-director Nebbou. Unfortunately, this never quite pays off in the finale which fails to leave its mark on you.
While Nebbou switches gears adroitly, as do his subtle and skilled leading ladies, the way the story is wrapped up feels abrupt and cursory, almost a pretext for its suggestive first act.
Predictable in places, but there's much to savour here: dedicated performances, an atmospheric score, unsettling set-pieces (which are all viewed from Elsa's troubled perspective)... and above all a satisfying sense of ambiguity.
In Mark Of An Angel the misdirection is sometimes subtle, sometimes not so, but director Safy Nebbou in the end deserves the benefit of the doubt for just about preserving credibility when the plot goes into a wild reverse skid.
Well it started off good & creepy.I almost expected a horror flick or something but as it went on it started to fall apart & whatever potential it had to be even a good movie was gone
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