Face of an Angel

Quiet little film about something different than you think it is. There are really two shatteringly realistic portraits of...not the lives of murder suspect Amanda Knox and roommate-victim Meredith Kercher...but of two writers, one a blogger, the other a screenwriter, following the student murder saga that put the US and Italian justice systems in such amazing contrast. We see a handful of media feeding frenzies outside the courhouse, but what the camera is really showing us is the near total absence of authenticity in the lives of two story tellers. The screenwriter and the journalist both have neglected young children and ex-es forced to raise children pretty much alone, and we see one more terribly sad proof of the emptiness of a media-obsessed world's mis-focus on the cults of tabloid celebrity and famous murder cases.Looking for salacious bits in the murder scandal? Looking for an "alternative thriller"? You'll be disappointed.However, if you're a writer or maybe even a reader of detective novels, looking at the underbelly of various scenes in Europe could be interesting. But considering all the Russian mob and child porn/sex slave stuff, the underbelly of Italy portrayed here as affluent year-abroad students having sex and smoking pot and hash, as students traditionally have for the last half century, simply isn't terribly riveting. The use of the classic Renaissance mythic search for Truth through Beauty in Dante's Inferno is put to good use. And there's a gritty reference to an ancient Italian family's corrupting influence that provides a nice diversion.

THE FACE of an ANGEL is based on the murder of a young, English Girl named Meredith Kercher, who was stabbed brutally to death one night in a house she shared with 2 or 3 other girls in Perugia, Italy, where all of the girls had gone to study Italian while in college. Her roommate, American, Amanda Knox and Amanda's boyfriend, Rafael were at first questioned and then arrested for her murder. A trial followed and Amanda Knox was convicted, mostly because of all the pre-trial publicity, botched police investigation and the fact that at the time of the crime, Amanda did not speak Italian as fluently as she would come to in her subsequent 4 years confinement in an Italian jail, until she won her appeal and was finally, released to go back home to Washington state with her family, who had fought continuously during the 4 years she was in jail! It's a tragic story and the saddest part to me, is that the victim, Meredith Kercher, was largely. "forgotten" in all of the "circus-like" pretrial publicity surrounding Amanda Knox and ignoring the real evidence that clearly showed that Amanda and Rafael had nothing to do with Meredith's murder!Unfortunately, for me, this movie only depicted the "race" of several writers and filmmakers that were in Italy to bicker over who would write the movie, direct the movie, etc. about this tragic event. It really didn't shed any more light on the real human story of the central "characters", being the formerly accused Amanda and the young girl who paid the ultimate price of losing her life and was basically ignored! All this movie did was seem to recreate more confusion than ever, after the fact. It's really unfortunate, as the "real story" could've been told in a much better, sensitive and moving way if the script had been better, The only part I really liked was the hauntingly beautiful music in the background of this story.

I just downloaded and watched this movie because I know it won't be in theaters much in the U.S. I admit, I had no expectations for this film but I am a huge Daniel Bruhl fan and watch everything he's in. However...I have to admit, this was a pretty good movie. It's deep, and maybe a lot of critics don't like to actually think and use their brains when watching a film. It makes you think afterwards about victims and how they're forgotten, how the media really is a circus, and how we as consumers of media tend to gravitate toward facts that don't matter, such as how pretty the defendant might be. Daniel Bruhl of course was great in this movie. Kate Beckinsale was also good and Cara had a wonderful first time movie appearance. I recommend this movie. Interesting, thought-provoking, good acting.

This is an example of a film that can't decide what it wants to be.It begins with Kate Beckinsale, a hard core journalist and the male lead, a screenwriter, meeting in Italy, where she helps him negotiate the circus that was the Amanda Knox case, the celebrated young American college student, who was accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, a British student, both spending a year abroad, studying in Italy.The film has a lot of energy, and we hear details of the murder, that the audience is not sure are true, or manufactured, with supporting characters who claim to have knowledge of what really happened.Then Beckinsale kind of disappears, and the screenwriter slowly decides he wants to write a love story instead of a crime drama, with literary references to Dante.The movie becomes a slow, ponderous, arty tribute to love and Kercher, out of nowhere.I don't know what it is when Italy is involved, but even a fictional screenwriter turns all weird and ethereal, with long stills, wanting to use cheesy symbolism, and float adrift with no destination.

Fascinating and engaging story that is certainly NOT a crime thriller. The cinematography is stunning, moody, beautiful, classical Italy at its best. The characters are wonderfully written. If you like a symbolic, literary, intelligent movie and aren't afraid to think, this is the movie for you. Not quite as surreal as a David Lynch film, but certainly close.

Too many characters to distinguish by eye, foreign accents with no subtitles in the dialog, apparently unnecessarily complex plot. I bailed out early.Others may be into it.

Strange movie. Hard to follow sometimes. Glad I didn't see it in a theater, only dvd worthy at best.

Film-maker 'Thomas' (Daniel Bruhl) is in 'Siena' to conduct a background search of a controversial and heavilypublicised murder.Crime Journalist and novelist 'Simone' (Kate Beckinsale) helps him piece together the events that surround thecase.'Thomas' also enlists the help of British Student 'Melanie' (Cara Delevingne) to help him understand the club anddrug scene linked to the students living in the area.'Thomas' attends the Court where the accused has an appeal hearing, he needs to understand the truth of thecase, did 'Jessica' (Genevieve Gaunt) and her friend really play a part in the murder of 'Elizabeth'(Sai Bennett) ??The disturbing nature of the crime becomes and obsession for 'Thomas' as he begins to question what reallyhappened......what secrets will he uncover.The film is based upon the 'Amanda Knox' - 'Meredith Kercher' case.The film is interesting but doesn't really command ones attention at times, perhaps a little slow, worth perhapscatching on the Movie-Channel.There is drug-use, sequences of a sexual nature, partial nudity and use of colourful language along with bloody imagery.Features -* Deleted Scenes / Behind the Scenes / Interviews with - Michael Winterbottom - Daniel Bruhl - Kate Beckinsale andCara Delevingne.

I thought this film would be a crime thriller looking into the crime and who did it. It was basically a drug fuelled film where the film maker gets high throughout the film and hallucinates. Didn't even finish it.

interesting approach to tell the story. Allows us to be subjective rather than seeing it from the first person, in this case the suspect. And Cara shows us she can act believably too...

Thanks

The ending was very disappointing and spoiled what was otherwise a good story.