Andreas reconnects with Claire, rekindling their love affair after forty years apart. Complications include health risks, death, and potential impact on John.Andreas reconnects with Claire, rekindling their love affair after forty years apart. Complications include health risks, death, and potential impact on John.Andreas reconnects with Claire, rekindling their love affair after forty years apart. Complications include health risks, death, and potential impact on John.
- Awards
- 9 wins & 6 nominations total
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
- Andreas Borg
- (as Charles Tingwell)
Jo Kennedy
- Sally
- (as Joey Kennedy)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Paul Cox's Innocence is an unconventional, often very poignant love story about an old man named Andreas (Charles Tingwell) who writes to his first love Claire (a simple yet complex Julia Blake) and the two meet again. Claire has had a husband John (Terry Norris) for a number of decades now, and yet by some powerful if inexplicable force they fall in love once again as they did when they were 16. However this affair comes as a shock to John, but the story unfolds as if it weren't trying to reach any total, formulaic conclusion; which is just one of the films many strong points.
The other strong points come from the terrific performances by Tingwell, Norris and especially Blake who act they're roles with a realism and heart you don't see often in love stories. And of course, Cox delivers fine direction and an even finer script to the mix. Only 2 flaws get in the way- things could've been explained a little better here and they're when it came to some of the reasoning and emotion, plus the ending was a downer. Otherwise, it's a quite worthwhile picture, especially for fans of Cox, or for anybody sick of seeing films up on the marqui with names like Glitter and Soul Survivors. Grade: Between A & A-
The other strong points come from the terrific performances by Tingwell, Norris and especially Blake who act they're roles with a realism and heart you don't see often in love stories. And of course, Cox delivers fine direction and an even finer script to the mix. Only 2 flaws get in the way- things could've been explained a little better here and they're when it came to some of the reasoning and emotion, plus the ending was a downer. Otherwise, it's a quite worthwhile picture, especially for fans of Cox, or for anybody sick of seeing films up on the marqui with names like Glitter and Soul Survivors. Grade: Between A & A-
Paul Cox's "Innocence" is a beautiful, poignant gem that deserves your attention. It is a film that manages to be both realistic and completely uncynical at the same time(an unusual achievement these days).
The story concerns two people who were lovers as teenagers, separated, and meet again fifty years later. Upon meeting again they realize that they're still in love. It probably sounds sickeningly corny but it doesn't play that way. Cox details how the reigniting of their affair affects the people around them(friends, his daughter, her son and husband)and allows time for exquisitely intelligent conversations, my favorite of which takes place between the male protagonist(Charles Tingwell)and a priest concerning the reality of God.
"Innocence" is luminous.Seek it out.
The story concerns two people who were lovers as teenagers, separated, and meet again fifty years later. Upon meeting again they realize that they're still in love. It probably sounds sickeningly corny but it doesn't play that way. Cox details how the reigniting of their affair affects the people around them(friends, his daughter, her son and husband)and allows time for exquisitely intelligent conversations, my favorite of which takes place between the male protagonist(Charles Tingwell)and a priest concerning the reality of God.
"Innocence" is luminous.Seek it out.
As a woman of 'a certain age' I speak from experience. The sentimentality seemed to me to be excessive. I found the story to be plausible, and the cast superb; it was in the execution that Paul Cox revealed an idealistic approach to men and women in love (at any age). I swear I aged an entire year during this 90-minute experience. I found myself taking deep breaths, wanting to say "Move it along, Paul, give up the ponderosity, let's see the amazing vitality that a love affair injects into formerly perfunctory lives. (That, unfortunately, happened in only one scene ... at the home of friends.) The flashbacks to the young lovers seemed repetitious because there was no progression, no development of the characters Again, I wanted to say, "We get it, Paul, we get it, they were in love--and no different from any couple in love." The ending could have been so much more interesting if Mr. Cox had not, indeed, taken the easy way out. However, I salute the effort to depict us oldsters as something other than grumpy grannies/gramps or eccentric fools.
"Innocence" is the perfect title for this extraordinary film, a bold and eloquent gift to moviegoers of all ages from the brilliant Paul Cox. Nearly everything is perfect about this movie, in fact, including the casting of the radiant Julia Blake and the genuinely sweet Charles 'Bud' Tingwell in the pivotal roles. If you get the chance to see this on cable some evening, as I did tonight, do not miss the opportunity.
I'm way out if my league here (and quite politically incorrect) since this genre is new to me. Forty years after a break-up never fully explained, Andreas (Charles Tingwell) is searching for his long lost love. Claire's (Julia Blake) been living close by all along, in quiet desperation. Andreas " remembers your youth innocence your smile." and gives us the theme. But life is a killer, so young love between these elders might be short. This film examines issues of love, aging, marriage and death. Filmed sensitively and portrayed insightfully, this film is one for the select audience who cares (and wonders) what has (and might) happened to those long lost lovers. May yours be as well preserved as these.
Did you know
- TriviaOne of five feature films made in South Australia which were written and/or directed by Australian auteur Paul Cox. The pictures are: 'Innocence' (2000), 'Human Touch' (2004), 'Lust and Revenge' (1996), the 'Winners' series episode tele-movie short feature 'The Paper Boy' (1985), and the documentary feature 'The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky' (2001). He also later directed the feature documentary 'Paul Cox directs the Diary of Nijinsky' (2014) which was about the making of the latter.
- SoundtracksJerusalem
(uncredited)
Lyrics by William Blake
Music by Hubert Parry
Played on the organ by Andreas in the last church scene
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Невинность
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,202,382
- Gross worldwide
- $3,034,980
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