"The Innocents" -- Movie Review

This weekend, I attended the New Directors/New Films Festival, screening the Norwegian horror film “The Innocents”, written and directed by Eskil Vogt (who wrote the screenplay for the award-nominated Joachim Trier movie “The Worst Person in the World”). 

Synopsis

When a group of children discover they have supernatural powers, will they be able to overcome disaster when everything gets out of control?

Story

They may not yet know it, but Ida and Anna are in for one of the most fraught summers of their young life.  Nine-year-old Ida is somewhat resentful of her slightly older sister; Anna gets most of her parents’ attention due to the fact that she was diagnosed as autistic at the age of four.  With Anna being non-verbal, the two sisters don’t really have much of a relationship, so Ida feels especially alone.  This summer, the family is moving because the father got a new job; Ida hates this because not only is she leaving her friends behind, but also, this means that the family won’t be able to take a vacation this year. 

At their new apartment complex, most of the families seem to be away on vacation, so there aren’t too many other children around.  Ida is forced to take Anna out to the nearby playground and it is there that they make friends with two other children that will change their life forever.  Ben is a boy who is raised by his mother; they don’t seem to have a particularly good relationship.  Aisha is also in a single-parent household, but she is much closer to her mother.  Ben has the power of telekinesis, which he doesn’t mind demonstrating to his new friends.  Aisha shares with her new-found friends her own ability of telepathy. 

The more time this group spends with each other, the more refined the supernatural powers become.  For one thing, we learn that Ben has something of a cruel streak, and he uses his special powers to take revenge on others over petty grievances.  Aisha finds that she can use her abilities for more than merely entertainment purposes – she is able to warn others of impending danger.  One thing that no one expected is that Anna discovers that she has the powers both Ben and Aisha possess; as a result, she and Aisha are able to communicate with each other.  When Ben’s powers become uncontrollable and he gets into trouble, can the other children help to save themselves and others from Ben’s wrath?

Review

“The Innocents” is a tense thriller, made even more horrifying by the fact that it’s children that are causing the terror.  In only his second effort as a director, Eskil Vogt proves that his skills go far beyond that of merely a screenwriter.  Although known for his writing, he obviously has far more to offer.  Many horror films use nighttime to extract their scarier scenes, but in using children, the scariest parts are in broad daylight, including the simpleness of a playground.  Should you be able to find this either in a theater or streaming, it’s most certainly a strong recommendation, especially if you are a fan of this genre. 

Vogt seems to be able to zone in on just how frightening children can be – and children with special powers even scarier.  He successfully captures how evil kids can be at their core – evil towards each other, for sure, but evil in society in general.  It’s the little ones that we must be most wary of, Vogt seems to be advising us – going on scene after scene successfully making his case.  Those who may ostensibly seem innocent may actually be the most wicked – at least that’s what appears to be his advice to use.  You may never know who is out to get you or why.  In “The Innocents”, Vogt will have you scared of every child you encounter (at least in his movie).      

Following the screening, there was an interview with the writer/director of “The Innocents”, Eskil Vogt.  He said that his inspiration for the movie came from fatherhood; by watching his own daughter, many of his childhood memories were triggered.  Vogt made extensive use of close- ups and wide-shots in his film, but not all of them were his choice; his cinematographer recommended many of the close-ups.  In 1961, there was a motion picture of the same title and he was concerned that some people might think his was merely a remake.  Ultimately, he wound up keeping the title because he found it most appropriate – kids, after all, are in fact innocent.