Nicholas Dease: Northfork

Illustration of Angels in Northfork

Although the film's primary focus is the nature of death itself, one of the secondary points of interest that struck a cord with me in Northfork is the portrayal of Angels. Within the narrative, the viewer is confronted with two polar-opposite categories of angel; one of the human variety and the other divine. The relationship between these two types is strikingly similar to Eliade's concepts of the sacred and profane. Whereas the human angels may be interpreted to signify the realm of profanity, the divine angels may represent the sacred. Grand narrative aside, these characterizations are well worth investigating for the purposes of this blog assignment.

First, a quick etymological reference would be useful. As the film is definitely aware, the English word Angel is derived from the ancient Greek word, “Angelos,” meaning messenger. As the bible was originally written in Greek, the understanding of an angel as messenger was universal within Christianity and still is today in many branches. Archangel Gabriel's annunciation to Mary is a perfect example of this association. In this instance, he delivers a message directly from God to Mary—that she will give birth to Christ. As for Northfork, both types of angels are delivering a message. Whereas the human angels are delivering an eviction notice, the divine angels are delivering a summons to the afterlife. Interestingly, both messages are inherently a message of death, but the “type” of death is altogether different.

What I am most interested in is the way in which the film characterizes the two angel types themselves. The human variety are “given their wings” at the prospect of worldly gain and sent out in the field by an authoritarian boss whose motives are dubious at best. These angels seemingly do not care for any higher moral purpose, but are rather fulfilling their quota so they can acquire waterfront property. Furthermore, they are visually characterized as traveling salesmen with sharp clothes, suitcases, and shiny new cars. Even James Woods's character, the most developed of the human angels, is portrayed as using any superficial means required in order to get these people out of their homes. To this extent, the human angels may be viewed as occupying the profane order as are driven not by any higher or objective system of value, but rather by financial gain. Essentially, they are trite and fake salespersons.

Their significance pales in comparison to the divine messengers, who at first appear shrouded in mystery. These angels are ultimately devoted to the cause of bringing a child to the afterlife. Unlike their human counterparts, they are driven by a higher moral order, of which the viewer is left to ascertain from context. As far as the film reveals, they aren't acquiring anything from their effort aside from the knowledge that they are helping a being to the other side but what is certain is that they are motivated by the divine and to this extent, may be construed as sacred. Interestingly, each angel seems to be shaped by the child's imagination which may suggest that, again, they are sacred and beyond human comprehension. The only way to understand them is to put them in one's own terms, a la imagination or visual metaphor.

Overall, I found the film to be incredibly poignant in its illustration of death, but the distinct portrayal of the two categories of angel was too interesting not to address via blog.