An Angel at My Table
1990 · Movie · R · 158 min · ★ 7.0 · 87% critics
Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, the film follows her life from impoverished childhood through youth marked by repeated tragedies. As an adult, she gains acclaim for her writing while navigating the years she spends in a mental institution, ultimately using her success to move forward.
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Streaming on HBO Max, The Criterion Channel, TCM +1 more — or rent from $3.99.
3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1990
- Release date
- 1990-09-20
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 158 min
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (187 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this character-driven biography if you want a quiet, melancholic story of survival through writing; Not for you if you prefer lighter family entertainment or you dislike long, heavy psychological dramas like The Magdalene Sisters or Glory.
Pros: compassionate biographical portrait; memorable writing-focused journey; strong performances | Cons: heavy and oppressive tone; slow, overly long pacing; confusing structure
Themes
- insanity
- new zealand
- insane asylum
- teacher
- mental institution
- author
- based on memoir or autobiography
- woman director
Awards & recognition
- Grand Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival · 1990
Cast & crew
Kerry Fox
as Janet Frame
Alexia Keogh
as Janet Frame as a child
- KF
Karen Fergusson
as Janet Frame as a teenager
- IC
Iris Churn
as Mother
- JM
Jessie Mune
as Janet Frame as a baby
Kevin J. Wilson
as Father
- EC
Edith Campion
as Miss Lindsay
- FC
Francesca Collins
as Baby Jane
- MB
Melina Bernecker
as Myrtle
- MM
Mark Morrison
as Bruddie Frame as child
Directed by Jane Campion