What do these people have in common: Lou Reed, Vivien Leigh, Yves Saint Laurent, and Janet Frame? Answer: They were all given electroconvulsive shock therapy for highly questionable reasons, and suffered because of it.

Going in to this film I'd never read anything by New Zealand author Janet Frame, but nevertheless found the story of her life to be interesting. She's a compelling figure because of how awkward she was, clearly intelligent and talented but also riddled with social anxiety. It's very well cast, with the transitions between three actresses at differing portions of her life from child to adult being seamless, and all giving good performances.

I didn't give the film a higher rating because despite coming in at 238 minutes spread out over three parts, it left me with questions about aspects of her life and somehow lacked detail in places it shouldn't have, and was probably too long in others. Transitions were often on the abrupt side, and there seemed to be a certain softening of things. Maybe that's how life is when told with a backward glance over decades though, I don't know. Anyway, it's a pretty good film, and one with an uplifting spirit to it.

I had never heard of Janet Frame before watching "An Angel at My Table", which made her story all the more fascinating. Jane Campion's movie shows the author's life, from her childhood in poverty to her adulthood in Europe. Every step of the way, the movie lets the audience see how those around Frame treated her, at one point committing her to an institution due to a misdiagnosis.

I suspect that the average New Zealander knows who Frame was. It's just that I in the United States was unfamiliar with her. I can only conclude that she was one of the most talented authors of all, a true credit to New Zealand. Moreover, the movie is a true credit to Campion, along with "The Piano" and the recent "Power of the Dog". Definitely see it.