48 Angels (2007) User Reviews

Kept waiting and waiting

[cbarneey · 4/10 · 11 May 2022]

The synopsis of the movie is very misleading. Haven't yet figured out why the title is what it is. If it wasn't for the expectation of the title and the synopsis, I would not have been looking for something different than what it came out to be.

The initial feeling is that a dying boy sets out in search of God looking to be saved. So I kept waiting for that to happen and when the credits rolled I sat there stunned.

But the story line is quite different. It just highlights life and its many twists and turns and symbolism and there are quiet miracles to be interpreted and we have to look deep to find them. Not an in your face miracle or happy ending but subtle.

Plus I am not a fan of Ireland scenery with its gloomy backdrop and colorless canvases. So that sets the stage. For me anyways. And IRA stories went out with the '90's. Old hat.

While I give kudos to the direction and acting I was disappointed because of the synopsis and my own expectations. I see where others have said it stays with you; but it stayed with me because when a dying boy needs a miracle, where is god? In other people that the boy was directed to in order to touch two lives where one dies anyways in the end (criminal) and the other boy who treated the dying boy despicably throughout the movie hopefully lives a better life??? Real life stuff not exactly what you want to escape to from the routine drudgery of everyday for 1/5hrs.

Not what it appears to be....

[Admit_One · 2/10 · 31 December 2007]

This is another in a series of depressing Sinn Féin Irish Republican Army meditations. The film starts off great and the idea is terrific, it badly veers of course somewhere in the middle and the focus turns off of the child and onto the IRA and it stays there. It just gets more depressing as each minute rolls by. Murder, knee capping, kidnapping, betrayal and a dying child. It's all there and rolled out before you at an agonizing pace in this heartwarming comedy and meditation on God. If this film is "laugh out loud funny", then I invented the internet. There are a couple of cute bits in the film, but that's it.

The acting is fine, the cinematography is fine but nothing you have not seen before. This film is marketed as something it is not.

Renter beware...

Held out hoping for some redemptive ending

[christianwolstencroft · 3/10 · 29 November 2023]

.... I'm afraid that as well and noble the intention.. I found the movie to be pretty much a waste of time.

It covers some very sensitive and emotive topics, And there's nice scenery.. But that's about it.

I would have stopped watching it much earlier had I known what I know now... I was hoping for some profound redemptive conclusion.. and was kind of just left wanting really... As much as you might feel for the little boy and the story of him having cancer.. I think we've got to still be honest about when a film in terms of delivery, is good or bad.

The acting for a boy of his age was very good.. But as a film to watch and get anything from.. not really.

A movie that stays with you...

[tthylayia · 7/10 · 4 June 2019]

A movie meant to be viewed with your "spiritual man" as well the physical. I gave a 7 stars rating which I thought was very deserving. There was a lot going on with the storyline. It seemed to me to have two possible movies combined into one plot. The young boy dying was intended for the main storyline. But then there was the IRA story which was pretty heavy and the side story of the young man carrying the pain of Seeing his father murdered. Like I said, a lot going on, but very well blended together. The acting was very good (9) and the music was wonderful(10) and perfect for the movie. And of course there is the location...Ireland!! I just love Ireland and the people there. For the ones who likes to have their endings all wrapped up tidy with sunshine, this is not your picture. As for me, I love the ending. It keeps the movie with you long after the credits have rolled.

Faith & delusion...

[rooprect · 8/10 · 30 March 2011]

This is an excellent film for people who like to analyze symbolism, theme and philosophy. It's probably a lousy film for people who want a digestible story.

The plot goes something like this: A desperate boy sets out to meet Jesus and find a miracle. Along the way he finds other wanderers who are similarly searching for answers, though they may not know it. It feels a lot like a "road movie" except that most of it happens on the water.

A lot happens. Flashbacks occur. Strange, nameless & illusory characters appear and then disappear just as abruptly, and the effect may be disorienting on many people. But I think that's the point. Without being obvious about it, the filmmaker immerses us in a dream where everything seems to be fragmented, yet it's possible to grasp a central message if you think hard enough. Isn't that how all dreams are?

Adding to the dreamy, surrealistic feel is the excellent brooding landscape & weather of northern Ireland where this was filmed. I couldn't think of a more ideal setting. And the music really helps too.

There is a lot of religious symbolism, and very quickly we see that the story revolves around matters of faith, delusion and deception. A man may look like Jesus through the eyes of the faithful, but in reality he's just a criminal. Or is he really an instrument of god in a criminal form? Every character & every event has multiple layers, each layer corresponding to a level of belief or non- belief. And the interesting thing is perhaps it doesn't really matter.

Well, that's all I'll say because I don't want to ruin your enjoyment of piecing it together for yourself. The movie really is a puzzle--a cryptic dream which has a ton of interpretations.

Though very different from any movie I can think of, I would compare the style to Herzog's "Aguirre the Wrath of God" or maybe Wenders' "Paris Texas" or Tom Tykwer's "Heaven" or the "Decalogue" by Kieslowsky. All of these are excellent, airy films that ponder the nature of our existence & spiritual destiny.

Quite an unusual film

[christine-tasu · 10/10 · 22 November 2008]

After the heavy handed "Admit One" 'critic, allow me to advocate for the film from a foreigner point of view, that is (sorry for the broken English!). The scenery is beautiful, the acting great, the Irish brogue and the music fit in perfectly, some scenes are perfectly delicate (dialogue between Seamus and Grace about Columcille, the man "Darry" shaving), the plot is "different". No nudity, no sex and very little violence but quite a few issues such as faith, belief, forgiveness, commitment, life and death. The plot might be a bit hard to understand but it doesn't matter; the film is like some kind of dream on the water, maybe Seamus'mind wandering about. The question raised is "how to live in a country scattered by thirty years of civil war" and dealt with in an interesting way. At some point, this film reminded me of Bergman's "Seventh Seal", in a modest way. Strongly recommended to speculative persons.

Not Cryptic nor Symbolic but a Clear Message

[tusent-96-447742 · 9/10 · 2 August 2012]

Excellent film for family and to teach Christ's Golden Rule. The cinematography will not disappoint nor will the music--both get 10 stars. The acting is good but not epic, so I give the film 9 stars. The story, however, should stick with you for a while and have a positive effect-- especially for Christians: zelie417's review is right on but I would like to add to his/her analysis regarding the end of the film:

********* Extreme spoiler follows: *********

Seamus narrates the very beginning of the film. He says, in essence, "our hearts can become hardened." Seamus also narrates the very end of the film. He says, in essence, "our hearts must break to heal."

Seamus already knows Jesus and does His work. Although Seamus dies in the end, he still gets to meet God (the geese). He also gets his miracle: through Seamus, James and "The Man, 'Darry'" FORGIVE the men from their past Catholic/Protestant Troubles. The last scene is James' heart breaking and the start of his healing and relationship with Christ-- a Very emotionally moving moment.

A real "Could have been" film.

[ascendant01 · 8/10 · 21 April 2008]

---I am sorry but this movie lost me along the way. I don't see what the purpose of the wounded IRA guy was in the story at all. What could have been a really poignant movie about the troubles of the dying young boy trying to find the meaning of death and the older boy's emotionally damaged attempts to find the meaning in life after witnessing his father's murder is simply plowed under in some totally inexplicable foray into IRA politics. ---I waited for it to be all tied together in the end but it didn't happen and it all simply became more confusing. This movie could have been a real winner had they spent more time on the story. I mean the ending is simply not there. The boy dies after seeing his geese and the older boy is left in the boat I guess, we don't know for sure. ---The boys could have been brought ashore again near the younger's parents cabin with the older boy having been helped the younger boy to understand or accept what is coming and then have the parents take in the older boy and provide him with the emotional help he needed. So the younger boy passes away but the older boy finds understanding and a home where he gets help from parents who are left needing someone to help. Just one of many better ways to have ended this movie. ---Instead we get a well made movie with a mediocre story... in my opinion.

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