BroadcastChic
Excellent, a Must See
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Kirandeep Yoder
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
sashabwood
Innocent Voices, reflects very accurately the realities of the El Salvador conflict. I definitely do not agree with the previous reviewer, Alien Latino, who argues that the movie was too biased towards the leftist guerrillas. The evidence from the United Nations Truth Commission report about the conflict clearly indicates that the Military dictatorship and associated death squads were responsible for the majority of murders, massacres and human rights violations against civilians. The UN report indicates that indeed only 5 percent of any human rights violations were committed by the opposition fighters; also it was proved as indicated in the same UN report, that the FMLN guerrilla fights were not responsible for massacres of civilians however the military government and the associated death squads were found to be responsible for the majority.The movie also brought up the interesting issue regarding the activist role the church played in El Salvador trying to resolve the conflict. For example, in one scene a priest made a powerful statement to a group of villagers that "prayer is not enough!" This statement seemed to suggest joining and supporting the opposition movement. Many members of the church clergy were supportive of the opposition movement in El Salvador during the conflict and advocated social action against the oppressive military regime. As a result many church members were assassinated by the government forces. Indeed many clergy all across Central America, including El Salvador, starting around the 1960's, became involved in what became know as 'liberation theology' -a movement of the church that advocated social justice action and organizing against the systemic forces that oppressed the poor. This movement advocated that praying was not enough to end the terrible poverty and oppression of the peasants who were the majority of the population of El Salvador.In closing, Innocent Voices is a well-made movie, a simple story with likable characters and beautiful and realistic cinematography. I recommend it.As a footnote -it is interesting to note that the opposition movement portrayed in the movie, the FMLN, are a democratic party and the currently elected democratic government in El Salvador.
r-albury
Innocent Voices is based on the true story of a young boy growing up in war torn El Salvador. Chava, and his family, know that once he turns 12 the Salvadorian army will come and take him away to become a child soldier. Since his father left, Chava is the 'man of the house' and helps to bring in income to support his mother and two younger siblings. He keeps his siblings safe from the bullets coming through the wall of their house during the gun fights between the guerrillas and the army. The cinematography in this film is fabulous and the casting was perfect. Sometimes the amount of violence seems almost exaggerated and it is a harrowing thought to think that children went, and are going, through this. This was an amazing, touching movie.
sl-pierce
Luis Mandoki writes and directs a very real and suspenseful film, which follows the difficult daily life of a young boy and his family amidst the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. Chava is an adventurous young lad who, along with all his friends, is attempting to escape the awaited recruitment by the Salvadorean army upon the arrival of his twelfth birthday. The film is strikingly authentic in its depiction of the atrocities that poor and innocent families underwent during the horrific civil war that was taking place. As a spectator, I was completely drawn into the story and the characters, truly feeling the moments of love and contentment, or pain, fear, and utter desperation. This production should be applauded for its authenticity and candid portrayal of what reality meant for the everyday people of El Salvador and how the civil war undeniably affected their lives in appalling and unforgettable ways. Furthermore, the cast was superb, particularly Carlos Padilla as young Chava and Leanor Varela as his mother. I will carry the images and stories from this film with me for a long time to come.
annahauser2000
Stunning film about the Salvadoran Civil War, told through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy, who, once he hits twelve, will be rounded up with other children and forced into military service, fighting for the US supported government. As shocking as the reality of the subject matter is, the film plays out peppered with good humor as we watch this mischievous little boy and his similarly mischievous friends carry on being children in spite of the horrors unfolding around them. Watching and laughing at these charming children brings a weight of sadness as we know they will soon have to grow up or die.Because the impoverished locals didn't stand a chance against the U.S. funded military machine of El Salvador, they had to resort to guerrilla warfare, which in turn prompted the creation of US sponsored death squads whose role was to spread terror amongst the locals. They did this by killing over 75,000 innocent people.
