This tender tale of love reignited begins when Andreas (Charles Tingwell) writes a letter to Claire (Julia Blake), the girl he loved in his youth. Though they've married other people (Andreas's wife has died) and had children who are now adults, when they meet again, the passion they once felt returns. But when Claire tells her husband, John (Terry Norris), he's devastated; his struggle to hold on to Claire threatens to ruin all of their lives. Innocence is quiet and slow paced, giving it a calm reflection on love and mortality that turns, sometimes unexpectedly, to heartbreaking sadness. The actors are excellent, particularly Blake, who makes the risks Claire takes feel as immediate and unexpected as they would feel to a teenager. --Bret Fetzer
2.
Director Paul Cox ponders the nature of love in this sincere tale of romance about two elderly people who debunk convention and follow their hearts. An aging Andreas (Charles Tingwell) realizes that a woman named Claire (Julia Blake), with whom he had a love affair forty years back, is living nearby. He sends her a letter hoping to reunite with her. Their meeting stirs up old feelings, and, to the confusion of their families, the two begin a lusty liason. The power of the film lies in Cox's fearlessly honest approach to such questions as the relationship between aging and loyalty, and the interplay between sensuality and love. Julia Blake's performance is touching in its clarity. The balance she maintains between attachment and anger towards her husband, John (Terry Norris), and companionship and passion towards Andreas is remarkable. Tingwell manages to keep from being overly sentimental by a whimsical vigor he injects into his characterization. In flashbacks of the couple's early years, Cox uses 8mm film stock to give these sequences a texture that is the embodiment of nostalgia and ephemera. Cox tells us, "Love is the only thing worth believing in. It's naïve to believe otherwise."
3.
Remember To Love, Surrender To Love, And Vow To Never Never Forget.
Innocence is a timeless and charming romance from director Paul Cox (A Woman's Tale) starring the incredibly talented Julia Blake (Hotel de Love, Lonely Hearts) and Charles "Bud" Tingwell (The Castle). It's a compelling and heart-warming testament to the human spirit and the vital elements of passion and desire that make the spirit soar.
For 50 years, Claire (Blake) has dealt with the support and comfort of a loveless marriage. Seemingly satisfied that her twilight years will be spent with a husband she's grown to know but no longer loves, Claire's entire world is turned upside down when a boyfriend from her youth attempts to re-ignite a spark that once fueled the fire of a torrid and passionate affair. Now, torn between the man she knows and a love she needs, she is faced with the most difficult - and important - choice of her life.
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