An Angel at My Table (1990)
Release Year: 1990
Nation: Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
Alternative Title: Un ángel en mi mesa, Um Anjo em Minha Mesa, Un ange à ma table, Ein Engel an meiner Tafel, En engel ved mit bord
Director: Jane Campion
Writer: Janet Frame, Laura Jones
Production & Genre
Producer: Producer: Bridget Ikin
Co-Producer: John Maynard
Companies: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Channel Four Films, Hibiscus Films, Television New Zealand
Genre: Biographical Film, Biography, Drama
Budget: N/A
Awards & Similar
Awards:
Similar:
Keywords
Keywords: author, based on memoir or autobiography, insane asylum, insanity, mental institution, new zealand, teacher, woman director
Story
An Angel at My Table traces the life of New Zealand writer Janet Frame from her early childhood in a poor family with many siblings to her adult years. As a child, Janet (played by Karen Penney and Kerry Fox) stands out as different from other kids due to her imaginative nature and love for books. Her siblings die one by one, causing Janet great emotional distress. She grows up to be a talented writer but is considered abnormal and spends eight years in a mental institution despite having no actual psychological disorder. While institutionalized, she writes her first novel 'Owls Do Cry', which garners critical acclaim. This recognition helps her gain freedom from the asylum and find success as an author.
Summary
An Angel at My Table is a 1990 biographical drama film directed by Jane Campion. It's based on the autobiographical works of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, focusing on her tumultuous life marked by poverty, emotional trauma, and her struggles with mental health in an era when understanding was limited. Despite these challenges, Frame finds solace and success in writing, ultimately using it as a means to escape her institutionalization and build a career.
