Taking place in Indiana, 1817, A.J. Edwards' The Better Angels tells the story of young Abraham Lincoln's formative years. The United States is only 40 years old, still feeling the effects of the war of independence, and young Abraham Lincoln lives in a remote log cabin with his stern father and loving mother. Produced by Terrence Malick, A.J. Edwards' The Better Angels is a beautifully composed film that certainly has the look and feel Malick's recent work, but unfortunately it lacks the poetic nuance and lyrical storytelling attributes which make Malick one-of-a-kind. Exploring Abraham Lincoln's upbringing, The Better Angels attempts to capture the tragedy and hardships that shaped the future president, pointing to his mother's untimely death and father's stern but fair upbringing as major factors. A.J. Edwards is a filmmaker that seems far more interested in delivering a beautiful aesthetic than creating an effective portrait, with scene after scene that feels very insignificant, almost as if Edwards wasn't sure what he wanted to say. If not for the films ham-fisted narration, I'm not sure The Better Angels would even make sense, being more a series of scenes than a cohesive story for much of its running time. The film does have its moments, offering a few strong scenes of poignancy centered around Lincoln's relationship with his father, the emotional strength of the film. This is the strongest aspect of the film, the father-son dynamic, but once again Edwards only offers glimpses, never a full examination. While the cinematography is impressivve the editing is confounding, using a series of jump cuts throughout the film that are incredibly jarring and quite frankly don't fit the film at all. A.J. Edwards' The Better Angels is a film I wanted to like but it feels like a forgery of a great piece of art, being a film that perhaps works best as a screensaver with its beautiful imagery but not much else.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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