Hollywood does love a good stereotype. Race, religion, age, gender, sexuality, marital status and others too numerous to count are all vulnerable to being painted with a broad movie brush. Every once in a while a movie comes along that takes a stereotype and turns it on its ear. So it is with the 2000 Paul Cox Australian release Innocence.

Innocence is a film that examines aging, sexuality, mortality and memory with an unflinching eye. Julia Blake plays Claire, a woman who has been married for nearly 45 years to John (Terry Norris). Charles Tingwell plays Andreas, with whom Claire had a passionate romance decades ago, before her marriage.

The movie opens with Andreas writing to Claire, hoping that they might meet, as he has recently learned that she lives nearby. Claire does meet with Andreas and the two share memories, do some catching up, and discover that old feelings die hard.

Claire’s marriage to John has become one of rote companionship, and being with Andreas stirs memories within her of a much more physical relationship. She discovers that she indeed desires sexual closeness in a relationship, and for this she turns to Andreas.

Claire’s decision impacts her life and the lives of the two men much the way any infidelity would. There is confusion, anger, bitterness and regret. There is also joy and fulfillment in the new relationship, as Claire begins to see herself as not “too old” to be a sexual being. This is what makes Innocence more than just an average story of love and betrayal, the underlying current of aging and mortality, and how these factors affect each character’s choices, both past and present. We see Claire and Andreas as passionate lovers; something not often found on screen when the characters are grandparents. The inclusion of love scenes between actual humans other than the physically flawless is refreshing in its frankness. John is portrayed as initially unbelieving of Claire’s admitted infidelity (he sees them both as too old for this type of thing), then confused, angry and finally sad at his own lack of perceptiveness. All of the characters speak of their own mortality with candor, recognizing that their age and various health problems do add an element to the love triangle.

The primary performances in Innocence are outstanding. Julia Blake is absolutely luminous as Claire. Her beautiful blue eyes convey emotion as clearly as her words. Her confusion about her own feelings, her weary dismay with John and her delighted girlishness in her relationship with Andreas are all believable and moving. Charles Tingwell plays Andreas as a man who seeks out love at the end of his life, and finds deep meaning in the experience. Norris’ John is in turn amusingly befuddled, blazingly angry and sadly confused about a life that is simply not what he thought.

The cinematography by Tony Clark provides yet another layer to the story, with scattered scenes of memories being blurred and incomplete, much like memory itself. A bit disconcerting at first, these fragments come together to provide enough back-story to help us understand the nature of the past relationship between Claire and Andreas. The pacing is deliberate, and the movie takes some time to hit its stride, but it’s worth the wait.

This is a movie that looks frankly and lovingly at sexuality, aging, and the nature of mature relationships, without discounting the effects of infidelity on all concerned. The absolutely outstanding principal performances add wonderful nuance and depth. Innocence doesn’t indulge in stereotyping of either its characters or its themes, making it a truly unusual and special film.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD