A film about group dynamics at a school that get out of control: This is reminiscent of Ilker Çatak’s Oscar-nominated drama “The Teacher’s Room”. The Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda also tackled the topic in his new film “Innocence”. And manages to turn it into a completely different but equally winning film.
Awarded at Cannes
Koreeda (61) has gained a large fan base with his sensitive films about family dynamics. With “Innocence” he has once again managed to create a nuanced, sensitive story. The drama examines the intense friendship between two students from different perspectives.
Yuji Sakamoto’s screenplay won an award at Cannes last year. Koreeda also won the Palme d’Or at the French film festival in 2018 for his drama “Shoplifters”.
Stories from different perspectives
“Innocence” tells the life of the young student Minato from different perspectives: first from the mother’s perspective, then from that of a teacher and finally from that of the boy. As Minato becomes more and more withdrawn, his single mother senses that something is wrong. After some hesitation, Minato tells her that a teacher attacked and insulted him. His mother is beside herself and tries to have the teacher thrown out of school. She gets into an argument with the headmistress and other teachers.
But then the events are told from the perspective of the teaching, and it becomes clear that the situation is not that simple. Questions are raised about Minato’s relationship with another student named Eri – it is implied that Minato is involved in bullying the boy.
The conflicts between adults mean that the children’s perspective is completely pushed into the background. This changes when the event is finally told from Minato’s perspective. Supposed certainties are once again turned upside down. It becomes clear that Minato and Eri have much more in common than initially thought.
A plea for more empathy
Koreeda succeeds in capturing the emotions of his characters and creating a touching story about childhood insecurity, peer pressure, friendship and love. At the same time, he plays with the expectations of the audience, who, like the characters in the film, are tempted to make hasty judgments. This means that “Innocence” – just like “The Teacher’s Room” – can also be understood as a plea for more empathy and prudence in our everyday lives.
