Annual Top Films Lists

Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2018: #97. Koen Mortier’s Angel

Published on January 1, 2018

Angel

Flemish director Koen Mortier ends an eight-year hiatus with third feature Angel, which relates the unfortunate demise of famed Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, who died in the arms of a Senegalese prostitute at the age of 34. Mortier became a filmmaker of note with his 2007 debut Ex-Drummer, and followed that up with 2010’s 22nd of May, a multi-perspective film following several victims just before they die in a horrific bombing at a shopping mall. Vincent Rottiers and Paul Bartel star in Angel.

Release Date/Prediction: While his Ex-Drummer played to great acclaim at a number of genre fests (and competed in Rotterdam), 22nd of May premiered at TIFF and did not receive US distribution. While production began on Angel in October of 2017, it’s unsure where Mortier will land with his third feature—potentially he will be ready to present in Cannes, but it could also be a fourth quarter return, as TIFF would most likely be primed to premiere this in Platform.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.