Name: La rage de l'ange
Genre: Drama
Released: 2006-03-31
Duration: 1 h 47 min
Rating: 6.3
Cast: Alexandre Castonguay, Isabelle Guérard, Patrick Martin

Good Actors and Much Imagination Make This Film Outstanding

I had not planned to write any comments about this excellent and poetic film, but J.M.'s review, good so far as it goes, dwells too much on Dan Bigras' direction alone. J.M.'s assessment of the dialog seems misconceived, too. Something should be said, too, about the actors, especially two of the young males.

The young street kids in the film, especially Francis (portrayed by Alexandre Castonguay) and Éric (acted by Patrick Martin) are not entirely kids who grew up in the slums of Montréal. Francis, for his part, has run away from a solid, quasi-middle class working man's home, rebelling against his oppressive father; Éric is a precociously artistic boy, whose innate talents go to accomplishing much more than the typical slum kid type spray-painting on street walls (although his character does just that, too). It is natural for them to speak in a more cultivated manner than many of the other street kids in the movie who are from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

The actors playing those two roles both Québécois (as are the other actors) are exceedingly pretty young men. Alexandre Castonguay, whose character, Francis, is ambiguously bisexual, is angelically gorgeous, rugged enough also to thrash his father credibly, something well suiting him to the film's moniker, which resonates with his title part. (Castonguay has aged physically a lot by the time that he made his subsequent films, although he remains a young man of more raffishly appealing physical allure.) Patrick Martin also is very good-looking, in a more fragile but appealing way, well suiting the vulnerable gay youth whom he depicts. Both are part of a street gang and pair up as "brothers" therein, Éric being useful to the gang for his talent as a graffiti artist. The other cast members all have looks which reflect their respective personalities and roles.

There is a scene of such haunting beauty that it simply cries out for separate mention. Pierre Lebeau plays the part of a sort of aging beatnik poet, who likes to wear worn-out episcopal vestments and to recite poetry at a low-life bar. (The others refer to him as "Notre Pape", a pontiff of the slums, as it were.) He intones a beautiful poem to shimmering, lovely percussion accompaniment (visibly played in the film) that is one of the most intensely poetic scenes that ever I have seen in a motion picture for mass audience consumption. It would be worth seeing the film (which is available on DVD) if it were only for this striking moment during it!

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

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The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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Three friends who grew up together in the suburbs of Montreal end up living on the streets.

Isabelle Guérard and Alexandre Castonguay in La rage de l'ange (2006)

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Isabelle Guérard, Patrick Martin, and Alexandre Castonguay in La rage de l'ange (2006)

Marina Orsini, Isabelle Guérard, Patrick Martin, and Alexandre Castonguay in La rage de l'ange (2006)

La rage de l'ange

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