BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

28 October 2014
GloucestershireGloucestershire

BBC Homepage
ยปBBC Local
Gloucestershire
Things to do
People & Places
Nature
History
Religion & Ethics
Arts and Culture
BBC Introducing
TV & Radio

Sites near Gloucestershire

Bristol
Coventry
South East Wales
Hereford & Worcs
Oxford
Wiltshire

Related BBC Sites

England

Contact Us

12 Innocence (2003)

updated 7th January 2003
reviewer's rating
Three Stars
Reviewed by Jamie Russell


Director
Paul Cox
Writer
Paul Cox
Stars
Julia Blake
Charles Tingwell
Kristien Van Pellicom
Kenny Aernouts
Terry Norris
Robert Menzies
Marta Dusseldorp
Length
95 minutes
Distributor
Capers Matcine
Cinema
9th January 2003
Country
Australia/Belgium
Genre
Drama


"Cinema is a gift you take home with you," says Dutch director Paul Cox. And after watching his latest contribution to the art of moving pictures, it's easy to understand what he means.

A modest story about true love, old age, and death, "Innocence" is an understated film that's sure to linger in the memory, however slightly.

At the age of 70 Andreas (Charles Tingwell) and Claire (Julia Blake) don't expect to find true love again. Andreas' wife has been dead for 30 years, while Claire is married to John (Terry Norris), a kind man with whom she's shared the ups and downs of family life.

But when Andreas and Claire reunite some 50 years after their teenage love affair, the sparks begin to fly again.

Transported back to their adolescence, the lovers decide that they're too old for games. They embark on a physical relationship with wild abandon while openly admitting their affair to Claire's husband.

But at an age where a broken heart - or even an overly happy one - can prove fatal, what hope is there for anyone to discover a new life?

Challenging our prejudices about the elderly's sex lives, "Innocence" is a touching film about rediscovering the throes of passion at a time when death waits in the wings.

"Love becomes more real the closer it comes to death," muses Andreas in one of the script's stilted - yet curiously affecting - philosophical exchanges.

Best of all, by keeping the disturbing closeness of the couple's rediscovered sexual energy and their impending deaths in sight at all time, Cox faces up to the reality of mortality with a refreshing candour.

It's a slight film, but it's one that you'll be more than willing to take home.



Find out more about "Innocence" at
Movie Review Query Engine
The Internet Movie Database


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites


music
bullet
Latest news & reviews
bullet
Comedy nights
bullet
Festivals guide
bullet
On stage in Cheltenham
bullet
On stage in Gloucester
bullet
On stage in Stroud
bullet
On stage in Tewkesbury
bullet
On stage in the Cotswolds
bullet
On stage in the Forest
bullet
Get YOUR event listed
bullet
FREE nights out on us!
bullet
News & reviews
bullet
Latest releases
bullet
County cinema listings
bullet
Gloucs in the movies
bullet
The Harry Potter file
bullet
Tolkien's Forest
bullet
The Review Archive
bullet
News & reviews
bullet
Gig guide
bullet
Venues
bullet
Local talent: get listed!
bullet
News & reviews
bullet
Club nights
bullet
Venues
bullet
Tourist attractions
bullet
Ghostly Gloucestershire
bullet
Royal Gloucestershire
bullet
Gardens to visit
CONTACT US

BBC Gloucestershire
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 1SW

Telephone (website only):
+44 (0)1452 308585

e-mail:
gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk





About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy