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“Angel By Thursday” is a heartfelt film about two families that are linked together in a most unusual manner. Julia (Olga Kalashnikova) was abandoned by her mother as a child and currently lives and works in Berlin. She receives a strange postcard from Hawaii that has her mother’s pet name on it. To find the answer to this mystery, she sets off to Hawaii. On her journey, she meets Clint Tobias (Kenneth Matepi) who is a police officer looking after his mentally challenged brother, Toby (Russel Subiono).
It was hate at first sight as both of them find each other miserable. Clint comes off as a domineering jerk while Julia is feisty and stubborn. For some reason, they do not get along in the slightest and the feeling is mutual.
Eventually, we discover that Julia’s mother, Sara (Jennifer Kinsey), acts as a unifying thread in their lives. Together, they embark on a journey towards reconciliation, healing and hope.
The film illustrates Sara’s life and her hurdles in increasing detail as it goes along. Explanations are given as to why she lost Julia, and how she ended up being a part of Clint and Toby’s lives. The pacing of the narrative along with the flashback scenes is done quite well, and the viewer does not get lost at any point in time.
A film that certainly looks like and actually is a labour of love is ’Angel By Thursday’. From the story alone, one can tell how sincere the screenplay really is. Jeff Wallace, who wrote and directed the film, did not have much to work with, let the visuals do the talking, and it definitely shows in the final product. It is, without a doubt, the result of a very low budget, but pulls a lot of astonishing emotional weight.
The ADR work is extremely noticeable, and not in a good way. It’s one of those cases where you can tell a lot of the conversation is regurgitated dialogue from an off-screen voice since the lip movement does not match the conversation in numerous clips.
No matter what the issue may be in the technical aspects of the film, the actors will always be able to carry the story along. They are real and their expressions and mannerisms add meaning to their words. You experience their agony and despair, but also their happiness and hopes. And you are content and relieved with the sense of closure they seem to have found by the end of the story.
The selection of locations works well for this film as well. Hawaii serves as an excellent setting for the film but ‘Angel by Thursday’ captures Hawaii in a way that I do not think most films set there do.
I would give this film a 5 out of 10. It does not seek to be perfect and does not attempt to be. It simply tells a story and hopes its message of love and hope resonates with its viewers by the end.
While it is quite challenging for anyone to view, it tells a story that could touch a select few. You could call it the dreamer’s endeavour. Still, it is genuine and comes from a good intention. With some patience, you might enjoy the story which comes in handy in the end.
“Angel By Thursday” serves festival audiences the best, but it is something to be appreciated. Maybe, like in a utopia, with sufficient support and funding, Jeff Wallace and his team can accomplish this.
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