Innocence

Colour, 35 mm
France, Belgium, United Kingdom, 2004, 115 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Six-year-old Iris very quickly discovers the rules of her new boarding school which focuses on dance, physical education and biology. Obedience is the order of the day, and anyone rebelling or trying to escape is condemned to stay at school forever. With time, Iris gets accustomed to her new life. But something bothers her: every evening at nine, when the lamps in the park light up, the oldest boarder, Bianca, leaves the house for a secret meeting. One evening, Iris follows her to a big house, where teachers live... The film, loosely based on Franz Wedekind’s 1903 novel Mine-Haha oder Über die körperliche Erziehung der jungen Mädchen, is a highly stylized, magical and metaphorical dream with elements of theatre, psychological thriller and the mysterious atmosphere of horror.

About the director

Lucille Hadzihalilovic (1961, Lyon) studied filmmaking in Paris. She has worked as an editor on documentaries and feature films, and has worked long-term with Gaspar Noè. Her first feature La bouche de Jean-Pierre (1996) was screened at Karlovy Vary in 1997. Films: La première mort de Nono (1987, short), La bouche de Jean-Pierre (1996), Good Boys Use Condoms (1998, short), Innocence (2004).