Angeliena

Unique and creative storytelling that's heartwarming and colorful like the people it represents. A work of heart. The highly acclaimed cast tells you something about the respect and appreciation the director has earned amongst her peers, and she can be well proud.

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 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!

The film gave me such a new found perspective based on us being so quick to judge the next person etc because we all have dreams and goals and to add, I love stories of the underdog!

A truly pure South African film which hits every nail on the head, in terms of the characters being truthful to the people they play based on the respective backgrounds they come from. It will have you laughing and next moment you will be consumed with emotion by the journey of Angeliena. The powerful thing that I took from this was that no matter your circumstance you are still capable of achieving your dreams.

To conclude, if there was a list of South African films that had to be selected to show the world, this would definitely be on that list.

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.