To watch "Angels Crest" is a daunting experience. Similar in many ways to "Manchester By the Sea," the film is a haunting tale filled with pathos and horror at the unforgiving nature of the flawed nature of humanity.
The stark beauty of the snow-capped mountains and endless vistas of the natural world are contrasted with the squalor of human life that ends in the death of a child. Ethan, a caring father, feels confident in leaving his little boy locked in his baby's car seat in the truck while he chases down some dear. But the kid loosens the buckle and walks out the vehicle to a wintry death. The rest of the film is the aftermath of that calamity.
The strength of the film was in a set of extremely detailed and unforgettable characters. All of the principals and secondary roles were full of contradictory impulses and the basic stuff of life.
An especially intriguing character was the district attorney, who wishes to prosecute Ethan to the fullest extent of the law. But there is an agenda behind the attorney's zeal that comes into focus when we see him weeping over the memory of the loss of his own child.
Everyone will have a personal favorite among this group of fascinating characters, anyone of whom is capable of suffering the same tragic fate of a decent dad and basically a good person like Ethan. If only the film were not so bleak and unforgiving of human frailty, it might have been a masterpiece.
The stark beauty of the snow-capped mountains and endless vistas of the natural world are contrasted with the squalor of human life that ends in the death of a child. Ethan, a caring father, feels confident in leaving his little boy locked in his baby's car seat in the truck while he chases down some dear. But the kid loosens the buckle and walks out the vehicle to a wintry death. The rest of the film is the aftermath of that calamity.
The strength of the film was in a set of extremely detailed and unforgettable characters. All of the principals and secondary roles were full of contradictory impulses and the basic stuff of life.
An especially intriguing character was the district attorney, who wishes to prosecute Ethan to the fullest extent of the law. But there is an agenda behind the attorney's zeal that comes into focus when we see him weeping over the memory of the loss of his own child.
Everyone will have a personal favorite among this group of fascinating characters, anyone of whom is capable of suffering the same tragic fate of a decent dad and basically a good person like Ethan. If only the film were not so bleak and unforgiving of human frailty, it might have been a masterpiece.