Nerdly » Sci-Fi London 2022: ‘The Innocents’ Review

17th May2022

Sci-Fi London 2022: ‘The Innocents’ Review

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Rakel Lenora Flottum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf, Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Morten Svartveit, Kadra Yusuf, Lisa Tonne | Written and Directed by Eskil Vogt

Director Eskil Vogt is having quite the year. Releasing two movies that have received plaudits by pretty much everyone that has seen them. The first, The Worst Person in the World and this, his second, The Innocents.

There have been a few movies in the last few years that have tried to blend sci-fi, horror and superhero genres. Perhaps the most well known came in the form of Brightburn. A surprisingly brutal movie that lead with the premise of ‘what if Superman was evil?’. Personally, I really enjoyed the indie movie Freaks, which had this awesome dark sci-fi vibe and was full of surprises. So The Innocents isn’t completely original in its thinking but it still stands out with its own ideas and quality.

In it, four children slowly start to discover that they have some kind of superpowers. Unsure how to control them and what to do with them, they meet up and try to work things out without telling any adults in their life. Unsurprisingly, they are perhaps too young to have this kind of power.

First off, the young cast are excellent. A lot of work was done in finding the right children for the roles and it shows. These are not easy roles (one in particular but we’ll get to that later) but these young actors get everything right. Although all of them are excellent, I think Alva Brynsmo Ramstad as the older sister Anna is the highlight. She plays a girl with autism who at the start of the movie is non-verbal but it is made clear that she previously spoke as a toddler. I have personally worked with children with autism for the last twelve years and thought Ramstad’s portrayal was excellent. It really isn’t something that is easy to act out and it is clear that the actress and director have researched for the part, I could not have been more impressed. I’m certain that some people might have problems with how the film portrays autism – in that, like films that have come before it, it is used as a ‘superpower’. This could seem lazy but I believe in The Innocents this feels much more original and interesting.

For a movie that has influences from sci-fi, horror and superhero genres, it is surprisingly grounded. The ‘ordinary’ suburb setting helps with this but everything is very subtle too. The superpowers aren’t in your face and it all feels very real. The special effects are extremely well presented too and just look natural.

There are a couple of nice, tension-building horror moments, as well as a couple of brutal and violent scenes. Nothing too much is shown on screen but is very much implied and when it involves children and animals, it won’t be for everyone. But like everything in the movie, this is done the right way.

The Innocents is one of the best movies I have seen this year. Calling it a superhero movie at all almost feels wrong because it feels refreshingly like nothing you’ve seen before, while horror fans will love that dark edge it has running through it. After seeing this, I certainly hope director Eskil Vogt continues to make original and brilliant movies in the genre.