ANGELO

Vienna in the 18th century: a countess (Alba Rohrwacher) buys an African boy, names him Angelo and has him trained in the arts – with the promise that he will be treated as equal to the other members of the court. Angelo becomes an attraction, performs elaborate pantomimes before the prince and moves seemingly freely in a society that regards him as a curiosity. When he secretly marries a white woman, he falls from grace and loses his rank. “Angelo” by the Austrian director Markus Schleinzer (Austria, 2018) is based on the life of Angelo Soliman, who was enslaved as a child and brought to a European court.

It is Schleinzer’s second feature after “Michael” (2011); before that he had worked as casting director on several films by Michael Haneke. The historical material is told not as a costume drama but as a study of display and belonging. The film premiered in September 2018 in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Angelo” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2019.

Shown at the 2019 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2019 · Film Archive