The Innocent Review
A mile a minute, super slick, The Innocent is a rip roaring time in the cinema.
Abel (Louis Garrel)’s mother, Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg), teaches in a local prison. There, she falls in love with Michel (Roschdy Zem); an inmate who is also the best actor in the drama group. They decide to get married, which freaks out Abel, who is concerned that upon release, Michel will revert to his old ways. Abel teams up with the best friend of his deceased wife, Clemence (Noemie Merlant), as they discover that Michel is planning an armed heist. Now, Michel has to weigh up whether he, too, must become a criminal to protect his mother from one.
Directed by the star, Louis Garrel, The Innocent is a deeply entertaining piece of filmmaking that takes the ridiculous further and further on a wild ride. It looks gorgeous, grainy and grimy, like a French filmmaking fairytale, and will have you glued to your seat throughout.
Across the board, the performances are strong. Garrel plays Abel (the director and actor has made four movies since 2015, and in each he plays a version of himself all called Abel) as a suspicious and scared man. Since the passing of his wife, he has become completely self-absorbed, and this spurs on his thinking that only he can help his mother from this ‘terrible’ situation. Merlant won a Cesar (the French equivalent of the Oscars) for her role in this film, and you can see why in her upbeat, utterly charmant performance.
Visually, The Innocent is great looking but perhaps has a little too much of that blue and orange hue so favoured by filmmakers today; the Sony LUTs coming out to play. That being said, the cinematography here is saved by the grittiness and graininess of the shots, which bring a sense of criminality and down to Earth, real life to the piece.
One of the best things that can be said about The Innocent is that it is funny, tense and engaging throughout. The dialogue zings, even through the three inch barrier at the bottom of the screen. The plot unfurls smartly and swiftly, and the jokes land consistently. As an introduction to French cinema, you’d be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable piece; as an aficionado, you’ll easily be swept up in a fantastic example of the form.
