-
An Angel at My Table (1990): What the Hair Knows
“An Angel at My Table,” directed by Jane Campion, explores Janet Frame’s life through her autobiography, highlighting the contrast between the film’s portrayal and Frame’s own understanding of her identity. While celebrating her resilience against psychiatric misdiagnosis, the film ultimately struggles to convey the richness of her prose, which defined her true genius.
-
The Piano (1993): The Voice of Her Mind
The Piano opens with a woman speaking. She immediately tells us the voice we hear is not her voice. Thirty years of criticism have debated whether her silence is power or damage. The film never notices it might be both. “I have not spoken since I was six years old. No one knows why —…