Wings of solace: Intermedial explorations of angelic motifs in The Simple-Minded Murderer and Lilya 4-Ever

This comparative intermedial reading examines angelic imagery in Hans Alfredson’s The Simple-Minded Murderer (1982) and Lukas Moodysson’s Lilya 4-Ever (2002), focusing on Hans Zatzka’s and Fridolin Leiber’s guardian angel chromolithographs and other influences from art history on angelic visions in mise en scène and narrative. In both films, these angelic figures illuminate themes of suffering and divine intervention, bridging cinema and religious iconography.