THE INNOCENTS film review

– By Cate Marquis –

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The French drama THE INNOCENTS takes place shortly after World War II in Poland, a story involving the war’s devastation and aftermath, the occupying Russian forces who drove out the Germans, and some cloistered Catholic nuns. As such, it will inevitably draw comparison to IDA, the searing drama that explored issues of post-war communist Poland and identity for a woman raised by nuns. Although both films deal with nuns and post-war Poland, IDA’s story largely takes place years after the war, while this one takes place in 1945, in its immediate aftermath.

THE INNOCENTS is a rare thing, a story set in a war-torn environment but featuring almost entirely strong female characters. French director Anne Fontaine co-wrote the screen adaptation of the true story. Her previous films include COCO BEFORE CHANEL and GEMMA BOVARY, which she also co-wrote.

The central character was based on a real woman Madeleine Pauliac,who was a doctor in an era when women physicians were much more rare. The story takes place in 1945 in Poland, where French Red Cross doctors have been sent to aid in the repatriation of French soldiers and survivors of the death camps. They are just there to help French citizens but are working alongside the occupying Russian army, the “liberators” who drove out the Germans.

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http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/07/the-innocents-review/