“Thank you so much to everyone who enjoys the film and enters into debate about the meaning and intention of certain aspects of the story. We’ve decided to answer some of your questions below.”

Kindest Regards,

Shane Abbess and Matt Hylton Todd

  • During the opening titles of the film, Gabriel is learning to function within a human body for the first time. This is similar to newborn animals in the wild where their ability to stand, walk and adapt within moments of birth are the difference between life and death.
  • The 7 Arcs are Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Ithuriel, Amitiel and Remiel.
  • The 7 Fallen are Sammael, Ahriman, Asmodeus, Lilith, Balan, Moloch and Belial.
  • The two over-riding forces in the story are The Light and The Dark Realms, led by The Maker and The Dark Lord. The reference to Heaven and Hell was added to the marketing campaign by Sony but still bears no effect on the actual story as we made a specific choice not to refer to any theology which would restrict the film to a specific religion.
  • Remiel was the first Arc sent to Purgatory. He was killed by Ahriman who wears his jawbone around his neck as a souvenir.
  • The spelling of Arc is different to the more common spelling. The reason for this will become apparent over the coming two sequels.
  • The mirror in Gabriel’s loft was smashed by an enraged Michael who was on the verge of turning. This was when he wrote the letter. Michael also left the two silenced pistols in the sink for Gabriel.
  • Ahriman says ‘You be here about the Obeah. I be thinking Moloch is dead.‘ Obeah is a word for Bad Spirit in certain cultures.
  • Absinthe is the green drink that Uriel pours into the cracked shot glass.
    Gabriel whispers something inaudible in Lilith’s ear when he kills her in the nightclub. It was a line that Andy Whitfield came up with and is in Spanish. Though the exact words are not known, the word ‘Matador‘ is spoken and the meaning of the line translates to ‘This time, the bull wins.‘
  • Michael killed Sammael after arriving in Purgatory but was so driven and consumed by his own anger that he turned shortly after. None of the Fallen ever refer to him as Sammael and the Arcs only assume that Sammael still leads the fallen when all along it is Michael.
  • Ahriman’s Fallen dialogue was written backwards but not phonetically spoken that way.
    – As soon as the lights go out he screams “Mih Llik!” which is ‘Kill him!‘
    – During the face off where he pulls out his handgun, he first says “Siht od ew, siht od tnaw ouy. Ko” which is “Ok, you want do this, we do this”
    – Once Gabriel has replied he motions a lick over Remiel’s jawbone and says “Sdorw emas esoht skaeps Remiel” which is “Remiel speaks those same words.”
    – During the break in their fight he says “Emas og ouy won dna haebo nellaf si Michael‘ which is ‘Michael is fallen obeah and now you go same.“
  • Michael also speaks the fallen language to Moloch early in the film. He says “Moloch, Tou traeh gnikcuf sih raet” which is “Moloch, tear his fucking heart out.”
    At the end of the film, Gabriel falls from grace to become a human where he will now stay in purgatory. During his final speech he says “You threw me far from Grace and now I fall unto it.” In the Australian theatrical version of the film, there was an extended ending that showed him returning to Jade in the loft. He no longer had the tattoos and his eyes were brown.
  • Gabriel was always intended to be a trilogy but due to limited resources, we chose to make a smaller, intimate first film that would open up into the broader picture which is the sequels.
  • During their knife fight, Gabriel cuts Moloch’s face. Though very quick, soon afterward you can see 12 frames on the crash zoom where Moloch heals himself.