An Angel for May (2002)

"An Angel for May" came unexpectedly the other day on cable. We hadn't heard about this film, at all, as we don't remember it having played locally. This English film, directed with style by Harley Cokeliss, proved to be a surprise and we recommend it for young audiences and their parents as it will provide quality entertainment with a good story to boot!The film opens in England after an air raid during WWII, in which a young girl is calling for help, although we don't see her. Right after that, we are in the present time following Tom, a young boy who lives with his mother in a rural community after the parents separated. Tom is a boy in turmoil by what's going on. As a result, Tom goes on his bicycle all to the nearby countryside where he had spotted a dog that seems to be lost.His search brings him to an old ruined structure where he finds the dog. Little does he know that he is going to embark in an adventure he didn't bargain for. In fact, this ruined placed used to be a farm that holds a mystery and involves Tom and a childhood friend. Not wanting to give out anything else, let's say that Tom is completely surprised by what he discovers among the ruins.The closing sequence of the film was handled with great care by Mr. Cokeliss, as it involves Tom going to the old church trying to find out about the whereabout of someone dear to him. Tom's mind is put at ease when the kind Rosie comes to him as he is contemplating the names in a tomb in the church's cemetery. The scene is lovely and it finally puts Tom's mind at ease because he has deciphered the mystery of what he experienced.The two young actors, Matthew Beard and Charlotte Wakefield are wonderful in their roles. They are intelligent children and a delight to see. Any film that has Tom Wilkinson and Anna Massey in it can't be bad. Mr. Wilkinson does a great job in his short appearance. Anna Massey is lovely in that tender scene at the end of the film. Geraldine James, Julie Cox and Angeline Ball are seen in supporting roles.Congratulations to Harley Cokeliss for bringing this beautiful tale to the screen and we recommend it to anyone who is young at heart.

I have just seen this movie with my grandson and it was quite enjoyable for both of us. The plot was interesting enough to hold the attention of us both and yet he was able to understand it completely. The young star Matthew Beard is a wonderful and talented actor whose innocence transcended onto the screen with ease. I look forward to seeing him in future endeavors. This movie also reminds many of the horrors and consequences of war without the unnecessary blood and gore that is prevalent in so many of today's movies. It proves that you can get your point across without any foul language or special effects that many directors have fallen in love with today. My only question is that on cable TV where I saw this film it warns of strong sexual content and tat is was not apparent anywhere. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to sit back and enjoy a good old fashioned movie by a rising star.

I saw this film in a movie festival in Brittany, France. Somebody here said it was for children, but I'm 27, I saw it with my mother and my boyfriend when it came out, and the three of us just loved it. The story of a young boy accidentally traveling into the past, and then going back there on purpose and saving a little girl's life is absolutely brilliant, and the actors are all perfect : Charlotte Wakefield and Matthew Beard show an outstanding maturity, and Tom Wilkinson, Julie Cox and Anna Massey are also incredibly moving. After seeing this film we were all in tears, and I was thrilled tonight when it got on TV at long last... I just found out it had come out on DVD in America, so I will be able to get it and recommend it to everyone I know.

I happened to switch the TV on just as this film was starting and I was immediately intrigued: there are virtually no children's adventure/mystery series on television any more: When I was a kid (I'm 23) we had gems such as 'Press Gang', 'Moondial', 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' and 'Dungeons and Dragons'. Now all we get is ugly, badly-drawn cartoons and terrible US and Japanese imports.Like the recent UK family drama 'Bootleg', 'An Angel for May' was a breath of fresh air to the television schedules, an original, refreshing, beautifully filmed piece of drama. It captured a kind of wistful innocence so lacking from TV these days. Here's hoping it comes on VHS/DVD very soon.