''Once Upon an Angel'' (French:''Peau d'Ange'', ) is a 2002 French

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

film directed by

Vincent Perez Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in '' The Crow: City of Angels'', and starred in ''Queen of the Damned'', playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in ...

, starring Morgane Moré and

Guillaume Depardieu Guillaume Jean Maxime Antoine Depardieu (7 April 1971 – 13 October 2008) was a French actor, winner of a César Award, and the oldest child of Gérard Depardieu. Early life Depardieu was the son of actor Gérard Depardieu and his first wife, a ...

Plot

Grégoire reluctantly returns to the countryside in order to oversee his mother's funeral. Being back in the small town where he was raised upsets him, as he is not ready yet to accept the fact his mother died. While looking for some comfort and solace, he meets a maid named Angèle. He manages to impress her by making up he was an important manager, although he only has a minor position in a cosmetics company. After they have spent the night in a hotel, he just leaves her but she cannot forget him, in particular because he was her first lover at all. Subsequently, she follows him and even manages to get hired as the maid of one of his colleagues. However, she then has to realise that Grégoire is about to become the son-in-law of his boss. Angèle observes how he is going to marry another woman for other reasons than love.

Cast

* as Angèle *

as Grégoire *

Dominique Blanc Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), ''Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One'' ...

as Sister Augustine * as Laure * as Josiane *

Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, also written Bruni-Tedeschi (; born 16 November 1964), is an Italian-French actress, screenwriter and film director. Her 2013 film, '' A Castle in Italy,'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. ...

as Angèle's solicitor *

Olivier Gourmet Olivier Gourmet (born 22 July 1963) is a Belgian actor. Gourmet was born in Namur. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in '' Le Fils'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in ''La Promesse'' ...

as Faivre *

Marine Delterme Marine Delterme (born 18 March 1968) is a French actress, Painting, painter, Sculpture, sculptor and former Model (person), model. Early and personal life Marine Delterme was born in Toulouse, France, and grew up in Paris. Her father was an eng ...

as Faivre's wife *

Michel Vuillermoz Michel Vuillermoz (born 18 December 1962) is a French actor and scriptwriter. Vuillermoz has appeared in more than 100 films and 40 plays. In 1998, he received two Molière Award: Best Male Newcomer and Best Play for ''André le Magnifique''. ...

as Grégoire's uncle * as Amira *

Hélène de Saint-Père Hélène de Saint-Père (7 June 1963 – 4 May 2022) was a French actress.Laurent Terzieff Laurent Terzieff (27 June 1935, in Toulouse – 2 July 2010, in Paris) was a French actor. Biography Terzieff was the son of French ceramist André Marcon André Marcon (born 6 July 1948) is a French actor. In 1980 he starred in ''Le Voyage en douce'' directed by Michel Deville. Selected filmography * ''Le Voyage en douce'' (1980) * '' Stolen Life'' (1998) * ''Peau d'Ange'' (2002) * ''The Page ...

as Angèle's father * as Doctor Artaud

Release

''Once Upon an Angel'' premiered at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

on 24 August 2002, and was screened at the

Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur The ''Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur'' (FIFF) is a festival dedicated to French speaking films in Namur, Belgium created in 1986, reflecting francophone diversity, from Europe, Canada and Africa. History The festival is cr ...

on 28 September 2002. The film was released in France on 9 October 2002. An English subtitled

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

version, including a

making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...

, a soundtrack, deleted scenes, a

film poster A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

and two

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s, was released on 28 May 2003.

Accolades

At the

Cabourg Film Festival The Cabourg Film Festival (french: Festival du Film de Cabourg – Journées romantiques or simply ) is an annual film festival held every June in Cabourg, France. Founded in 1983 by writer-journalist Gonzague Saint Bris, the festival is dedica ...

2003, Moré was awarded the Swann d'Or for Best Actress.

Critical response

References

External links

* *
''Peau d'Ange''
on Vincent Perez' official website {{Vincent Perez 2002 films 2002 directorial debut films 2002 romantic drama films EuropaCorp films Films directed by Vincent Pérez Films shot in France 2000s French-language films French romantic drama films 2000s French films