Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE CLUB OF ANGELS [Sonoma International Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

Fables comes in many shapes and forms, many as cautionary tales wrapped in a sense of irony but others as dark fairy tales. "The Club Of Angels" understands this well. It is a farce but not really. A satire but not really. It can function as a comedy and yet it is a drama. To reveal the essence of what it explores would give away its play. Needless to say, it is a tale of revenge done in the sweetest way possible. The narrator has something to gain but is unreliable. The story follows a dinner party of six men brought together initially by their mentor Ramos (reminiscent of the Most Interesting Man In The World). He brought them a sense of brilliance and adventure but also of finality. This story is more about the aftermath and the inevitability of that mindset. Each character has their own hang-ups and are caricatures of sorts. But they also have inherent fears, important beliefs and overwhelming joys that make them up as people. Just as an onion is untwined, ones sees this consequence of time become more clear through a certain peripheral (or central) character that affects the outcome and yet does not. The story progression may sound complicated but it is not. It is actually much more straightforward than say "Heist Of The Century" [also playing Sonoma FF 2021] (and reviewed for Fest Track at Mill Valley Film Festival 2020]. The ultimate resolution is lyrical and not unexpected but the reasoning and the inherent idea of human nature flies through in its face. The great thing about Brazilian cinema (this was made as a co-production with Portugal) is that they can take dark textures and make them light thereby ironically making them more accessible to audiences. "A Club Of Angels" is beautiful in that way because it knows its path, it is not complicated but it is done in a stylish and elegant way. B+

By Tim Wassberg