Angeliena

I enjoyed the story, writing and hearing my mother tongue Afrikaan (Ive been living abroad for many years now).

The scriptwriting touches modern day issues and also gives answers or guidelines towards resolving these. I enjoyed the magical world Angeliena lives in.

It is decent and unpretentious; the plot is passable and the acting of Euodia Samson is decent; Uga Carlini has a lot of potential as a film director.

Even as a poorly developed script, and the lightweightedness of the entire film, it is still worth watching for the underlying message of 'make your dreams big, and your actions even bigger!'

It needed another rewrite and deeper characters. It had the makings of a tug at your heart Dear Frankie, without the talent and skill of Shona Auerbach. Instead it went for and achieved a shallow version of a 70's sitcom when it could have been so much more.

However, that said, the skill of Euodia Samson, the lead, is nothing to shake a stick at! She transformed herself into the character with the skill of Charlize Theron in Monster or Jamie Foxx in Ray, or Judi Dench in The Shipping News or just about anything that Cate Blanchett does! Bravo to her. Wish she had a better vehicle. She is pretty much carrying my 7 rating on her back.

Even though ANGELIENA isn't written to be about the current pandemic and socio-economic and health crisis we're living in right now, the themes of hope supporting one another are so universal, that I felt it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of the beautiful, colorful experiences life has to offer! The movie itself is cinematically so gorgeous, it makes my heart flutter and eyes twinkle!

The storytelling was complex and nuanced, yet didn't feel like it weighed me down, instead, it took a look at people going through tough times, and inspired me to pay more attention to the magic in the world around us, like Angeliena and her supporting characters do. Absolutely beautifully done, in my opinion, this will eventually become an art piece with a cult-like following!

This movie touched my heart so much. Everyone out there must see this to realise to never give up on their dreams. Who cares about your circumstances - keep on believing! Anything is possible and Angeliena showed us that with so much laughter, tears and love in this movie. South Africans can be proud to say this was produced here!!!