The Innocents

During the bright Nordic summer, at a large concrete apartment complex hemmed in by wild greenery, a group of children begin to develop mysterious abilities. But what starts out as the innocent fun of idle children, soon takes a dark and violent turn, culminating in an epic final reckoning.

Like a mix of Otomo’s Domu and Kowalski's Playground, with recognizable ideas found in films like Chronicle and New Mutants, THE INNOCENTS is surprisingly good. Telling a relatable tale of the trials and tribulations of a group of prepubescent children left to their own devices, both the good and the bad, and the funny and the painful, all while believably adding the twist of emerging superpowers, with themes touching on the gender dynamic of young girls realizing that boys can be dangerous, or how allyship is needed to overcome power imbalances, it's a dark, sad, endearing, exciting, and in the end, very satisfying film. There’s an understated, but also perfectly illustrative way of depicting the children's powers that I really liked.

Some people might feel that the film drags a bit as it takes its time setting things up, lingering within the boxed-in and yet widely open world of these children, which is fair, but sticking with the film rewards viewers in the end.

It’s also an incredibly tense story. I especially liked how the kids’ world is shown happening amongst the adults, around the edges and underfoot, basically unnoticed right under their noses, almost like the adults are incapable of noticing, which really adds to the tension as things start to spiral out of control. There are times when the kids want to look to the adults to help, but their efforts are stymied, crossing that gulf of understanding between child and parent too difficult, and they are left to face their problem alone. Of course, the flipside of this tension is that it can also be an upsetting viewing experience at times, at least it was for me.

Be warned, a cat is killed. It's not graphic, you don’t see anything, and it fits with the story. Plus, from the way it was shot, it's obvious no animal was ever truly hurt or even scared, but also, because the director is talented, it’s shot in a way that lets you fill in the details, so like I said, it’s upsetting.

It’s quick, but still…

Anyway, this won Best Direction at Fantastic Fest a year or two ago, and it’s very well deserved. As a baby X-men movie, it’s great. As a metaphor for the secret and intense lives of children, and the small playground wars they fight, it’s even better.

This feels like a generally overlooked film, so it’s one I highly recommend.