Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Innocent Voices (2004)

Director: Luis Mandoki

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

This ’80s-set child’s-eye view of the horrific El Salvadoran civil war is obviously a personal project for Mexican-born Hollywood director Luis Mandoki. Based on the memoirs of his co-writer, Oscar Orlando Torres, it stars the excellent Carlos Padilla as 11-year-old Chava, who lives with his single mother (Leonor Varela), sister and brother in a poor shantytown suburb of the capital, later the site of the crushing of a guerrilla rearguard action by repressive government forces.

Employing Hollywood-style technical sophistication – typified by a heightened colour palette and Juan Ruiz-Anchia’s dynamic cinematography – it tells a tale of severely tested normality. As heedless as possible of the constant bombing and automatic gunfire, Chava pursues a schoolroom romance, makes friends with a local bus driver in hope of raising money for his near-destitute family and continues to indulge in naive and dangerous antics (notably his habit of tuning his portable radio to the resistance station and defying the curfew) that have his mother apoplectic with anger and fear (she knows the government is recruiting 12-year-olds into the army). Life-and-death choices loom…

Mandoki adopts a populist approach, pulling hard on the (mainly) maternal heartstrings; and, sadly, his continual overemphasis tends to spoil the charm, pathos or emotional impact of any particular scene, blunts the subtlety of the performances and gives the film a sometimes unwatchable didacticism he clearly never intends. Nevertheless, it’s a laudable aim to try to inform a global audience of the nature of war, suffering and impossible choices; one just wonders if this inherently patronising form of cinema is the best suited to do so.

Author: Wally Hammond 2006-08-07 17:52:16

Time Out London Issue 1877: August 2-9 2006


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend
Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Has Michael Mann lost it?

Has Michael Mann lost it?

Adam Lee Davies mourns the passing of a major Hollywood talent as Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' sees the great director running on empty

Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults

Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults

Tom Huddleston takes a look at a selection of films which bring adult problems to a pre-teen audience

Is this Summer 2009's best film?

Is this Summer 2009's best film?

The French filmmaker Claire Denis speaks to Dave Calhoun about her new film, '35 Shots of Rum', a tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship in Paris

The Informant: trailer preview

The Informant: trailer preview

Steven Soderbergh is at it again, this time with a screwball corporate caper starring Matt Damon called 'The Informant'. View the trailer here...

Rudo y Cursi: interview

Rudo y Cursi: interview

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna talk to Time Out about their highly entertaining new comedy, 'Rudo y Cursi'

An open letter to Peter Morgan

An open letter to Peter Morgan

Tom Huddleston penned an open letter to Peter Morgan offering some friendly dos and don'ts for the new Bond movie

Outdoor film screenings in London 2009

Outdoor film screenings in London 2009

Derek Adams offers a guide to the best places to see films outside in London this summer

50 essential sci-fi films

50 essential sci-fi films

With 'Star Trek' making serious waves, we thought it would be a perfect time to select 50 must-see sci-fi films






The City made easy in association with Sony Ericsson W715