Sweet Angel Mine (1996)
Paul, a young man from London, arrives in the small Nova Scotia town of Milestone, where his long lost father was last seen years earlier. Paul is eager to find out what brought his father to this remote community. He meets Rauchine, a young, beautiful and unaffected girl who lives with her unstable mother and domineering grandmother on a nearby island, who is eking out a harsh and isolated living. Paul finds himself enmeshed in a web of jealousy, bitterness and fear as his attraction to Rauchine begins to grow. After a failed attempt to leave the island with Paul, Rauchine must make a crucial decision and break the cycle of violence and death that has marked her life.
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This Psychoesque film has a lot to recommend it: #1 Nova Scotia (Makes me want to go there); #2 - engaging characters - even the bad characters are strangely attractive #3 - fearlessness of the main character Paul (his naive self confidence gets him in trouble.) Highlight of the film - Paul's first dream. Worst moment - the pitiful ropes which were restraining him as bad things were about to happen. It was so bad you could see the space between the rope and his wrist (right hand) - I know my 2 1/2 year old grand son, Gus could have easily slipped out of the rope.I did enjoy the movie - flashbacks in black and white were effective. Mom & Daughter were alluring - Grandma disgusting - no surprise there! Fairly early in the movie you will "get it" even if you are not overly movie savvy. Yet worth the time. DonB
I think its pretty sad that this movie didnt do so well with the overall audience. The movie had a very short life span on VHS and was quickly taken off the shelves everywhere it had been released (US,canada and UK) I think that Is a shame, Its nearly impossible to find for rent and you cant buy it anywhere it seems, not even ebay. anyway moving on to my thoughts on the movie.... Well, I caught it from around the middle (where the mother gets all crazy on the guy near the water and walks off) so i probably missed alot, but from what i did see It was reall really good. It had a pretty unique storyline in my opinion, wasnt really a horror film like for ex halloween or that stuff, it was a phychodrama thriller, and a damn good one. It was a low budget film but not quite a B film. The quality was good and it had at least 3 fairly well-known actors, and it had minimal unnecicary gore (unlike some crappy films) I would definately buy it if it were available, and itys worth the time that it runs to watch it, I'd like to see rauchine's character (margaret langrick) in some newer movies, but it seems that this was her last one she did. It really is a crying shame this isnt more well known and isnt available anymore, but anyway it is a really good movie and I'd love to see it again all the way.
Sweet Angel Mine is a wonderful movie. While watching I felt as though this (the locking away, murder, and oppression) was something that could happen to anyone anywhere, but was at the same time fascinated and couldn't turn away. It's a good thing, too, because if I had I would have missed a great finish. Although it's not the first tale to feature this plot, the ending takes a twist, explaining everything and creating uniqueness not seen in other films. Kudos to the acting; it was great and with a lower level the movie simply wouldn't have the same effect. The screenplay, while a bit confusing, ultimately relays everything with better clarity and emotion. The psychotic mother and grandmother, the trapped, innocent daughter, and the caring suitor make for one weird relationship that really fits the story. This is a great movie! While I wouldn't recommend it for a dark, stormy night-it is quite chilling-Sweet Angle Mine is definitely more than worth the two hours it takes to watch-on a calmer day.
I managed (unlike several others) to catch the film from about 5 minutes in. The film summary caught my interest but I felt the first 10 minutes went slowly as the young man rode his motorbike around Nowhere, Nova Scotia.Once he had met up with the odd family, things began to get interesting.Some of the scenes were very well set up especially his encounter with Rauchine in the barn where she seemed 'disinterested' in his attentions.Disturbing in parts, and Rauchine's innocence made me feel a bit squeamish at times. The Grandmother was a bit tedious, immediately evoking the image of Norman's mother in Psycho.Top marks to Alberta Watson who, as the mother, exhibited menace and allure at the same time. What a tiger!Only gripe? The scene in the local bar was clumsy and didn't help the story at all. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes.What a pity it was shown so late on TV. Definitely a film you either love or loathe. I loved it. If you like this kind of film you should also try to see "Tick Tock".