By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Paul Cox
Starring: Charles "Bud" Tingwell | Julia Blake | Terry Norris
Country: australia, belgium
Year: 2001
Running time: 94
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0251141
Ellen says: “I saw this wonderful Australian/Belgian film at the Kendall this afternoon. Once again, I am reminded that only the foreign cinema would make a film about 70-year-olds having a romantic relationship. The lead actress is quite beautiful, in my estimation, despite her age. In short, a man and a woman who were in love as teenagers reconnect in their older age. Their growing love causes complications for both of them. The movie, however, tells wonderful lessons about life and love without clobbering you over the head.” 5 cats
Michael says: “I enjoyed INNOCENCE. I kept thinking about how refreshing it was to see a adult romance about people in their 70’s. That could never happen in the Hollywood system. One of the other pervasive themes in INNOCENCE (other than love) was mortality… perhaps a little too much so? The character of Andreas (played by Charles “Bud” Tingwell) particularly ruminates on the philosophical conventions of love, death and God. If sometimes his dialogue seems a bit pompous, the actor somehow manages to pull it off. Julia Blake as Claire, the other, more complicated half (she’s still married after 45 years) of this affair, is marvelous. Beautiful, conflicted, unsure… she’s one of most fully realized elderly characters seen on screen. And I really admired the way her marriage to John was shaken up and then dealth with. No easy answers here… well, not for the characters at least.
One one complaint came from the pervasive flashbacks to the two main characters when they were young, enjoying their first love. At the beginning, they made sense, and provided a nice complement to the current day action. But as the movie progressed, we really didn’t need to keep seeing the same scenes from the past over and over to represent their love and their parting. I had gotten it by then.
Really, a minor complaint for a refreshing movie.” – 3 1/2 cats
Scot says: “I was not as enthusiastic about INNOCENCE. I agree with most of the positive remarks made by Ellen and Michael, and with Michael’s annoyance at the arbitrary use of flashback later in the film, so please keep this in mind with my negative comments.
“Visually, there is nothing of note to recommend the film. The flashback sequences were interesting to look at and shot coherently and interestingly as one minute plays. (Or the same one minute play *over* and *over* again.) But the rest of the film was very flat, literally. Few shots ever even made use of depth of frame or, say, point of view. Ultimately, the film comes off kinda stagey. I usually don’t mind that, but here I do. The dialogue contributed to that feeling, though…
“I think the dialogue was way too formal and Hallmarkesque. And I don’t think Charles Tingwell pulled it off. He was charming, it’s true, but not because of his great skills as an actor. He had a genuine warmth and charisma, but his character’s inner life was broadcast on all bands so strongly, he came off as ultimately unbelievable to me.
“And it was really cool that the main guy looked like Maurice Evans. Not a bad film, but to me, an unremarkable effort.” 2 1/2 cats
Laura says: “The film belongs to Julia Blake, however, a truly beautiful woman who glows in her rediscovered love. Blake conveys the heartbreak of breaking another’s heart while simultaneously expressing the joy of living to the fullest. Tingwell makes Andreas the more Bohemian, worldly choice next to the staid John, but his performance has just a touch of self congratulation about it. Claire tells Andreas, whose strict father came between them all those years ago, that she doesn’t think he fought hard enough for her then and Tingwell’s portray of Andreas keeps him slightly suspect the second time around.” 3 cats
For Laura’s complete review: “http://www.reelingreviews.com/innocence.htm”
Robin says: “This study in elderly romance is handled with dignity as director Cox shifts between the modern-day love affair of Claire and Andreas and the long ago, though not forgotten, involvement when the two were so much younger (but, definitely, not more impassioned). The story segues between the quiet, loving romance of the elder couple and the more energetic ardor when they were young. The present-day interlude, as the couple beds down together after half a century apart, is handled with sensitivity as the camera lingers over their quiet loving that still has the fire (though a bit more slowly generated) of their younger years.” 3 1/2 cats
For Robin’s complete review: “http://www.reelingreviews.com/innocence.htm”