Idiots & Angels

This 2008 feature-length effort from Bill Plympton, whose idiosyncratic animated shorts have earned him a cult following, serves up a wordless tale of redemption in which a brutal, hard-drinking thug finds himself sprouting angelic wings. In bloody sequences, the man tries to rid himself of the unwanted appendages, but the impulse towards goodness the wings represent—a moral stance foreign to a guy who's begun his day by blowing up another motorist in his car and attempting to rape the wife of the bartender whose establishment he favors—proves irresistible. Idiots & Angels—drawn in the style of the artist's edgier, more grotesque “Plymptoons”—often feels episodic, with some sections darkly hilarious (the opening scene involving a songbird that interrupts the protagonist's sleep), others surrealistic (a fantasy floor show by the barroom floozy), and a few very nasty (the prolonged sexual assault). But the overarching redemption scenario offers some sense of continuity, and those attracted to Plympton's work will likely find this of interest. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)