Saint Ange

Four years before he divided the audience into two irreconcilable camps with his martyr's opus, Pascal Laugier, under the production supervision of Christophe Gans, made quite a decent ghost story. In it, he gives vent to his predilections (a strong female protagonist, the detached atmosphere of the sets) and at the same time shows that he has mastered his craft perfectly. The sympathetic face of Virginie Ledoyen, combined with the creeping camera and ominous music, works wonders. On the other hand, I still maintain that he should have thrown away the pen and paper because the whole thing doesn't make enough sense (even though the artist plays with hints and refuses to be unnecessarily literal) and the ending falls into the category of the unnecessarily self-indulgent. Regardless, thumbs up, with the knowledge that the talent is there. (31.05.2009)