Film: Innocent Voices
Release date: 6th November 2006
Certificate: 12
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Luis Mandoki
Starring: Carlos Padilla, Leonor Varela, Gustavo Muñoz, José María Yazpik, Ofelia Medina
Genre: Drama/War
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD
Country: Mexico/USA/Puerto Rico
Innocent Voices, directed by Luis Mandoki, follows the story of 11-year-old Chava (Carlos Padilla) during the Salvadorian war. Based on the childhood of screenwriter Oscar Torres, it became critically acclaimed on release, winning Best Picture at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Stanley Kramer award from the Producers Guild of America.
Innocent Voices guides the viewer into El Salvador during the unrest of the 1980s, as the country was ravaged by civil-war. Political tensions had been gaining pace in El Salvador during the 1970s due to inequities surrounding the distribution of land. The enmity between the ruling elite and the criminalised left-wing political parties soon spilled over into violence, and the politically restricted parties coalesced to form the guerrilla organisation known as the FMLN in order to combat the increasingly militaristic government regime that was sponsored by the U.S. government. This is the background upon which the story of Chava is played out.
Chava is thrown into the role of ‘man of the house’ when his father leaves, charging him with the protection of the family. It is this constant tug of adulthood that is explored through the eyes of a child, who, while wanting to do the right thing, at times still yearns for the freedom of childhood that has been stripped from him by family break-up and war.
It is left to the mothers to try and protect their boys in an environment where you will be shot for being out after curfew, and gun battles between government and rebel fighters rage through the shanty towns at night. It is, however, the recruitment drives for both the government and rebel forces that pose the greatest danger for the boys of the township…
This tale of a mother’s love for her son, played out in touchingly honest scenes, cries out above the harsher realities of El Salvador during the fighting. Indeed, it is this tension that is created between the everyday and the extreme that heightens the emotion of scenes, where, for example, Kella, Chava’s mother, is simply waiting for her son to get home from playing. The pace of the film then allows a gentle yet wrenching sequence of events to take place, as Chava and his friends become more of a target for recruiters from both the military and the resistance.
As benefits the reading of such a film, the opposing forces of the government and rebels are dealt with in a manner that portrays their proximity relative to Chava and his friends. The government, although visible as an ever present force, is distanced by the lack of a focused character at the outset, and it only really come into focus for the audience as its actions begin to have a greater impact on Chava’s life.
The resistance, due to its close bearing on Chava’s everyday life, is bought into sharper focus through the introduction of specific characters that initially appear as benevolent benefactors or confidants, such as Uncle Beto and the local catholic priest. By default or design, these two role models conform to type: Uncle Beto the exciting rebel fighter, and the priest preaching goodwill in the face of violence.
Throughout the film, Chava is presented with but two choices join the government and fight or join the rebels and fight, consequently his decisions are stark and consistently defined by the rapid changes of perception he and the audience is forced to go through.
The beauty of Innocent Voices is that, while this could be a non-stop litany of pain and suffering, screen writer Oscar Torres has given us an insight into the everyday, showing us not simply the war but its proximity to ordinary life and the way in which those caught in the middle managed to find laughter and decency even when faced with destruction and death. And it is this light touch which draws the viewer into the lives of Chava and his family.
Innocent Voices shows the often forgotten personal and social struggle of those without power over their own lives, and bears witness to atrocities that are perpetrated by government and rebels alike. The critical acclaim attests to the charisma of this film and its young star. TR
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