A review of this — 4 years ago
If you watch this movie for the philosophy and emotion in it, you’ll have a much higher chance of enjoying it. Forgive the unbelievable premise (existence of angels) and think of an extremely comfortable status quote that a man must renounce in order to be with a woman (if you need an example, think of a medieval prince in love with a peasant girl). Also overlook Meg not being spooked by a man who by all appearances is stalking her.
Instead, enjoy the beautifully matched soundtrack: Sarah McLachlan – Angel, and Goo Goo Dools – Iris:
And I’d give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
[…]
And I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Many have not appreciated the end of the movie. I saw three messages being conveyed:
1. When you’re about to drop everything and turn your life around in order to be with someone, understand the risks.
2. If you decide to do it and it turns out bad, it can still be worth it. At the end of the movie, Seth/Nicolas Cage’s angel friend Cassiel asks him, “If you knew what was going to happen, would you still have done it? Was it worth it?”
He answered,
I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One.
3. I think the ending has a very powerful meaning:
Seth has lost literally everything. He is no longer an angel; he is a mortal, suffering from pain, hunger and despair. He lost the love of his life. He has no job, no home, no money.
Yet he manages to pull himself out of mourning and depression, starts enjoying the simple things in life, and moves on, accepting his free-will choice of becoming a human.
