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This is a very odd week at the movies with very limited options. The big release was supposed to be the Eli Roth horror flick The Green Inferno. Unfortunately, due to a legal dispute between the producer and distributor, it was taken off the schedule only days ago. So what does that leave audiences with? The only wide release is the “faith-based” drama The Identical. As for smaller films, there are a mere two options.

INNOCENCE_-New-PosterFirst is the “faith-based” flick The Remaining, a horror version of the Left Behind story. One assumes there is a market for these flicks, but frankly I’m not part of it. To clarify, I may check out the upcoming Nicolas Cage Biblical epic, but that’s more about the star’s performance than the content. So that leaves one choice… and it’s another young adult book to film adaptation. Based alone on the hilariously photo-shopped poster (yes, that is the official one-sheet), Innocence doesn’t show much promise. And while it isn’t quite as abysmal as the image would suggest, it’s still pretty horrid.

Beckett (Sophie Curtis) is a teenager who loses her mother in a tragic surfing accident and moves to Manhattan with her novelist father. Enrolled at a hoity-toidy all-female prep school, events soon occur that would cause alarm in the mind of any rational attendee. The staff behave in a superficial, suspicious manner. A behind-closed doors book and alumni “club” seem to be ever-present at the academy (even meeting during school hours). Even worse, the first student that Beckett comes into contact with immediately commits suicide.

So why would Beckett choose to stay? Well, despite her reservations there are a few pluses. She meets a potential boyfriend in Tobey (Graham Philips), who is the son of one of the alumni club members. Additionally, she’s befriended by school nurse Pamela (Kelly Reilly), who begins visiting the apartment and spending hours there just to make sure Beckett’s transition is going well.

This is an independent film and one doesn’t want to rally too hard against people working with far less resources than similar Hollywood product. Still, there isn’t much here that works. It’s a dull-looking movie with a blue monochromatic color scheme that at times becomes downright dark and makes events hard to see. And what little action there is awkwardly cut together and unexciting.

There’s not much drama early on either. The first scene containing any sort of serious conflict occurs late and it’s between the father and daughter over an unapproved belly button piercing. The lack of consistent conflict only results in unintentional chuckles when the fantasy elements do arrive. Sadly, the cast are also saddled with some less than stellar double-entendres and overripe dialogue.

Innocence-climaxBut what is worse is the minimal character development. Beckett is clearly an introvert (for obvious reasons), but the movie does little to help viewers unfamiliar with the story identify with her. She barely speaks and there aren’t any character tics or habits that might help us understand her inner life. The script leaves both minor and major questions about its characters unexplained. Other than being an author, we don’t understand why the book club is so taken with Beckett’s father. Even worse, there’s no explanation given as to why the lead begins to experience supernatural visions that help her solve the mystery. And the hasty resolution only leaves viewers with more questions.

To be fair, the general concept isn’t bad and one truly wishes that the filmmakers had made more of it. The secret society ladies carry a creepy Stepford Wives-like quality and themes like the loss of innocence could have been interesting had they been handled differently. Unfortunately, the movie veers unconvincingly from teen angst to romance and by the time the movie is supposed to strike fear into our hearts, it is completely lost.

It’s always good to support independent film, but this effort is a serious misfire. Despite the talent involved, Innocence is an awkward flick that experienced movie-goers will only find enjoyable for its cheesy movie laughs.

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