Mark of an Angel

Mark of an Angel or L'Empreinte de l'ange is a French 2008 film, directed by Safy Nebbou. Retitled Angel of Mine for its 2009 English-language DVD release.

Plot

(based on a true story)

In a hospital Elsa Valentin gives birth to a daughter, but the baby reportedly dies in a fire. Seven years later she is divorcing her husband, and they fight over who gets custody over their 12-year-old son Thomas.

When Elsa collects her son from a party, she sees the 7-year-old girl Lola, who she thinks is her daughter, Lucie. First Elsa keeps this to herself, but she uses every opportunity to see Lola and keep into contact with her; toward Claire, the mother, she pretends to be interested in buying the house of the family, which is for sale, so that she can inspect the house and thus see Lola. Next, she goes to ice-skating when Lola does with her mother. Elsa and Lola skate together, but they fall and Lola is lightly wounded. Furthermore, she goes to a ballet performance in which Lola participates, and stands on the side of the stage behind the curtains to watch her perform; Lola does not mind, it feels for her like Elsa supports her more than Claire does. Claire confronts Elsa with her stalking behaviour.

Later Elsa tells Claire her claim but Claire maintains Lola is her own daughter. Elsa asks for a DNA test but Claire refuses, after which Elsa sneaks into the house to search for a hair of Lola but loses it in a fight with Claire. Claire tells what happened to her husband who suggests to allow Elsa the DNA test; he argues that this will prove that Lola is not Elsa's daughter.

Eventually, Claire confesses to Elsa, then her husband, that seven years ago in the hospital her own daughter died in the fire from smoke inhalation. In another room, she heard a baby crying and saw Elsa lying on the floor. Assuming her to have also died and she took the baby, pretending she was hers and that her dead baby was Elsa's.

Claire and her husband, Bernard, accept that Lola is returned to Elsa. To start with, Elsa goes for a walk with Lola. The girl is surprised by the matter, but does not seem really shocked.

Cast

• Catherine Frot : Elsa Valentin
• Sandrine Bonnaire : Claire Vigneaux
• Wladimir Yordanoff : Bernard Vigneaux
• Antoine Chappey : Antoine
• Michel Aumont : Alain Valentin
• Michèle Moretti : Colette
• Sophie Quinton : Laurence
• Geneviève Rey-Penchenat : Mme Corlet
• Héloïse Cunin : Lola
• Arthur Vaughan-Whitehead : Thomas
• Zacharie Chasseriaud : Jérémy

External links

• Mark of an Angel at the Internet Movie Database