The Innocents: A Tightly Controlled And Gripping Supernatural Thriller
During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking. Will they use them for good… or evil?
Cinema is no stranger to kids with special abilities, but it’s rarely rendered as grounded or gripping as Eskil Vogt’s latest film, The Innocents . The closest thing in recent memory that comes to mind is Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special, but even that comparison doesn’t entirely do Vogt’s impressive sophomore effort justice. Similar to The Worst Person In The World, which Vogt co-wrote alongside director Joachim Trier, The Innocents is an invigorating amalgamation of genres and genre elements that makes it simultaneously exhilarating and a bit difficult to categorize. One could say that it’s a totally straight-faced, realistic rendition of X-Men, Chronicle with children and without the found footage angle, or even a mé·nage à trois of Scanners, The Fury, and Village Of The Damned, but even then, we’ve only just scratched the surface of this expertly crafted, compellingly strange genre piece that’s surprisingly emotional and genuinely terrifying in equal measure.
Everything centers around two sisters, Ida and Anna (the latter of whom is a nonverbal autistic), who recently moved to a new city, and the two children from the neighboring area, Ben and Aisha, who they befriend. What starts as a somewhat typical coming-of-age story about the magic of childhood quickly takes a swerve into the supernatural when it’s discovered that Ben can move small, lightweight objects with his mind and Aisha can communicate telepathically with Anna. When the children discover that their powers are amplified by Anna’s presence, this portrait of youth takes a chilling descent into the nightmarish. Based off that brief plot summary, you would think that The Innocents is just another one of those dime-a-dozen “killer kids with powers” flicks, but there’s a lot that lurks under the surface.
The film may center around children — all of whom deliver absolutely top-tier performances by the way — but there’s nothing silly or childish about it. It’s surprisingly rife with adult complexity and complication, which Vogt constantly shrouds in mystery and imbues with wonder. He really keys in on the kindness and cruelty of children, their navigation between “good” and “evil," which, admittedly, aren’t unique themes, but there’s a singular quality to how he gracefully and thoughtfully moves between these two polarities. This is best exemplified in Ben and Ida, who both have a cruel streak within them, and a particularly brutal (but simulated!) incident with a cat that sets the tone for the story that unfolds.
Ida may do some mean things to her sister (which includes putting glass in her shoes), but there’s a line she clearly won’t cross, and Ben doesn’t seem to have the same sense of morality. There’s an emphasis on nature versus nurture as the potential reason for this divide, which Vogt subtly hits toward as opposed to laying on the melodrama (an aspect that is greatly appreciated). Ida seems to be mean out of boredom or annoyance, but Ben’s cruelty seems to stem from how he’s treated, and where he comes from — but also maybe because he can. In a way that’s never expressly verbalized, he seems to want people to feel his pain. No matter how terrible a character’s actions may be though, Vogt constantly looks at his characters with compassion and even gives Ben’s villainous transformation a great deal of empathy.
One of the most interesting things about the film is the approach Vogt takes to the story. Ida, our main protagonist, doesn’t have any powers. She’s ostensibly a third wheel here, which is not the angle most storytellers would choose to take, but this simple choice intensifies the stakes once Ben grows into the antagonist. Without any powers of her own to fight back with, the threat Ben poses to Ida, as well as the other children, is intense and horrifying. Pessi Levanto’s lush and beautifully haunting score, full of reverberating bells and piano with heavy sustain pedal and swells of string and synth, perfectly articulates the growing dread and unease. As the kids’ relationship becomes more and more bent out of shape, Levanto gives the an ominous and unsettling bend to the pitch of the instrumentation.
At the end of the day, The Innocents is a superb genre hybrid that gracefully weaves components of drama, horror, and supernatural thriller into a perfectly paced and stylistically cohesive experience. Its journey is slow-burning, but its momentum is steady and compelling. Its child performances are also astounding; each of them is incredible and give deep complexity and emotion to their characters. Compared to your average “kids with special abilities” flick, The Innocents manages to be much more palpable, resinous, and thought-provoking than you might suspect. Vogt’s ability to create atmosphere, construct fully-realized characters, lean into ambiguity, and mince genres certainly brands him as a talent to keep your eye on.
Recommendation: Absolutely give The Innocents a watch! It’s an expertly crafted thriller and one of the best films 2022 has to offer.
Hungry for more?! Check out the links below:
Fantastic Fest Q&A: The Innocents w/Eskil Vogt
Top 10 films of 2021
Top 5 endings of 2021
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!