Alix Delaporte’s Angel and Tony is the delicate love story of an unlikely couple that meet when they are each at a vulnerable stage of their life and are trying to find a way to move forward. The story is set in a fishing harbour in Normandy where Tony [Gregory Gadebois] , who is a professional fisherman, hires Angel [Clotilde Hesme] as a fishmonger and teaches her his trade. Although he initially finds her manner sharp, this aluring woman with a chequered past begins to intrigue him.
Intimately filmed, you’re akin to an emotional voyeur as you watch Angel and Tony negotiate the new relationship that they find themselves in and watch them deal with their own personal issues. It gently reflects the insecurities that often come at the start of a relationship – with theirs amplified by the extremity of their situations and their inability to fully express themselves.
Full of raw and often unspoken emotion, Angel and Tony is tender, yet powerful, rather than mushy and corny and consequently it is very much a romantic film for people who don’t usually like romantic films. Beautifully, written acted and shot, this moving French film brought a tear to my eye more than once and offers a subtle but heartwarming depiction of unlikely love and acceptance.
Janet has awarded Angel and Tony four torches of truth
