THE BETTER ANGELS IS ABOUT A MORE HUMBLE USA
In a very slow moving, black-and-white film, The Better Angels is a study of how 8-year-old Abraham Lincoln (played by Braydon Denney) is brought up in a log cabin in 1817 within the Indiana backwoods. The two angels are his first mother, who died, and his very affectionate second mother (Diane Kruger and Brit Marling, respectively). His father (Jason Clarke), however, is a disciplinarian who requires young Abe to clear the brush, steer the ox to open up the soil for seeds, and chop with an ax. Abe plays with the local boys, learning how to fight and wrestle, but every night enjoys reading. He is able to memorize Henry Clay’s speeches, filmviewers are told, and he also witnesses slaves in chains without comment. Abe is a quiet, humble boy in a country where there is no alternative to hard work and everyone subscribes to simple virtues. Directed by A. J. Edwards, The Better Angels portrays a slice of his living conditions rather than character transformation, often with music of Samuel Barber and mumbled dialog, including voiceovers, seemingly by a longtime friend. Filmviewers are to conclude that his life at the age of 8 provided the foundation for the Abraham Lincoln in the history books. MH