Innocent Voices (2004)

Based on the true story of screenwriter Oscar Torres's embattled childhood in 1980's El Salvador Innocent Voices is the poignant tale of Chava an eleven-year-old boy. Chava suddenly becomes the "man of the house" in a time when the government's army is forcibly recruiting twelve year olds to battle against the peasant rebels of the FMLN. It is a story of life love the hope of peace and the ennobling power of the human spirit.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/TRUE STORY UPC: 896010001270 Manufacturer No: 1000028539 Product Description

Important story for you to hear

Not the greatest movie making by a long-shot (editing needed), but many powerful images for sure. Familiarize yourselves with another part of "las americas" and the u.s. involvement there. Basado en una historia real. September 22, 2008

Costs of civil war on children

Film set in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador during the 12 year civil war (1980-1992). Story centers around Chava, a 11 year old boy and his single parent mother who is caring for 3 children trying to make ends meet as a seamstress. Their father abandons the family leaving the boy to be "the man of the house." The war is between the El Salvadorean army (which is funded and trained by the U.S. government) and the peasant rebels (FMLN) who are aiming to overthrow the government.

The director captures the costs of civil war and specifically so on the mothers who live in fear of losing their children - and the costs on the children - who lose their innocence so early in life and who live in daily fear to see first-hand accounts of rape, violence and killings. And yet, he nicely intersperses kids trying to be kids - first love, first kiss, playing on the streets.

Amid all of the violence and strife, the story gets a little too tidy for me beyond mid-point of the movie. Chava escapes recruitment by the government army. Chava escapes capture by the army yet his friends aren't so lucky. Chava is able to sneak away from a fire fight when is caught squarely in the jungle between the two warring factions. Chava is able to locate his mother in the burned out settlement after the entire village is gone.

Terrific cinematography in this movie with some memorable scenes of colorful firefly paper kites against a pitch black sky - torrents of rain falling against metal rooftops and muddy streets - the mother's fear when Chava doesn't come home before curfew - 12 year old boys standing in fear of being "drafted" during middle school classes - just to name a view.
June 8, 2008

GREAT Movie!

Innocent Voices was a great movie. The acting was outstanding and the quality of production, superb. This movie presents one perspective about the civil war in El Salvador as a child relates his experiences. The viewer is able to see what he sees and feel what he feels as an impersonal war encroaches upon his family. One reviewer stated that the movie takes sides. I suppose that's somewhat true. But when a stray bullet causes harm, the child's mother is quick to point out that it could have come from either side and that atrocities have been comitted by both. Again, this movie shares one perspective and, in my opinion, does nothing to take away from the movie's excellence. Also I'd like to add.....I thought this movie provided excellent cultural value and awareness. I had my children watch it (ages 14 &17). Not only were they thoroughly engaged by the story, but they were able to see how other people live and what type of hardships they endure. They take their lives here for granted. Often they complain. I want them to understand how thankful they should be for the lives of ease they enjoy. This movie helped to put things in perspective for them. I highly recommend it. May 19, 2008

LUIS MANDOKI, OPUS 9

***** 2004. Co-written and directed by the Mexican director Luis Mandoki (Message in a Bottle and Angel Eyes). Numerous awards earned in international festivals. El Salvador in the 80's. Chava lives in a village that lies between the Salvadorian army and the guerrilla warfare. He must hide with his friends when the army starts to enlist by force 12 years old boys. While watching this motion picture, I never had the feeling that it was pro-guerrilla or anti-Salvadorian army. INNOCENT VOICES is simply anti-civilian wars if it absolutely must be anti-something. Seen through the eyes of a kid, any war will seem awful even if it is justified by noble ideas. The director manages to provoke in our heart emotion and empathy and cinema is primarily about this. Masterpiece. May 18, 2008

A Powerful, Moving Story.

Luis Mandoki's "Innocent Voices" is a sharply detailed, moving film that tells a powerful human story and documents the horror of El Salvador's brutal, U.S.-funded civil war in the 1980s. Mandoki gives us a view from within Salvadoran society, there are no tourists or foreign journalists playing our guides, this is a view from the inside of a poverty-stricken society suffering under violent conditions. The focus of the story is a small boy named Chava, who lives in the poorest sectors of El Salvador with his mother and siblings. A civil war is brewing between the nation's military rulers and the Leftist FMLN guerrillas. With scenes of high intensity Mandoki captures how the family is caught in the middle of a deadly crossfire and how their lives change forever.

"Innocent Voices" never feels false, the setttings, characters and situations are completely authentic. El Salvador's beautiful Central American scenery is brilliantly captured as well as the cold reality of what the civil war was like. Reagan fans may scoff or dismiss the scenes of utter brutality by the U.S.-trained Salvadoran soldiers, but this is all well-documented, in fact, this is an important film to watch in the era of Iraq, as once again we are arming and funding different sides and trying to crush insurgencies in a complex region with little regard for the human cost. The use of child soldiers here strikes a general chord, as we know this is still happening all around the world today. "Innocent Voices" doesn't tell a story that happened, it tells a story that is still happening in many places right now. Mandoki also does a nice job in showing the kind of immigration that took place from Central America to the U.S. during this time, reminding the viewer that the immigrants crossing over are not lawbreakers trying to make it easy in America, many of these people have stories like Chava behind them, leaving your home is not an easy decision to make.

The film's performances are sharp and wonderful, the story is filled with numerous characters that stay in the memory and moments of drama that stir and move. Mandoki manages to explore the politics of the story without really making the film political, he doesn't have to resort to big slogans or preaching, he simply tells his story and lets the setting and situations display what was happening. There is almost a Dantenean quality to the way we see this small boy, Chava, trying to live a decent life surrounded by horror and death at a time when you were likely to find bodies floating in the nearby river, executed by soldiers. Mandoki beautifully contrasts the scenery with the carnage. Like Oliver Stone's "Platoon," the war scenes between soldiers and guerrillas are well-crafted but never "fun," the violence feels raw and not like some video game exercise. With intelligent editing, Mandoki creates an atmosphere of dread during the violence, capturing the confusion and sheer terror of being caught in the middle of a firefight with bullets flying by over your head and loved ones gone missing as bombs explode.

"Innocent Voices" is one of those rare, small films that you probably didn't know about because the studio didn't blast your senses with endless advertising or hype but it is more haunting, powerful and memorable than most of the big films playing in over 2,000 screens. It tells a story Americans have largely forgotten and don't realize just how involved in it they were. Sometimes we need directors like Mandoki to shine a light on those corners of the world we tend to ignore, yet don't realize the immense connections they have to our history and foreign policy. And aside from historical importance, this is simply a great human drama, a moving story that could affect anyone anywhere, as any good film should. "Innocent Voices" is worth picking up.



May 11, 2008

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