Good afternoon, House of Madness residents:
Lately I've been preaching about life's true masters of horror. The one entity that will always exist, and will then proceed to make Hell-spawns of their own later in life, unknowingly unleashing more malevolent beings into the universe. I'm talking about an evil so ancient it has existed since the inception of humans, and no matter how much we warn others to take heed, day after day, year after year, decade after decade, centu........OK, yeah, I'm talking about children again. It's not my fault so many films use the tiny brethren to wreak havoc on our minds, it's a formula that can never overstay its welcome simply because children are real-life monsters. Will McDonald's ever stop selling hamburgers? Will Ford ever stop making cars? Will "Grey's Anatomy" stop at season 346 so I can watch TV on Thursday nights like the old days? The answer to all of these is a resounding 'no', with the last question inciting a glare from my wife containing so much violence that I've been having visions of John Wick, and he looks pissed.
Ida (Rakel Lenora Flottum), her parents, and her autistic sister Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad) have just moved into a new apartment building far away from the place they used to call home. Not across countries or continents, but far enough that Ida is going to have to start all over when school begins, and make new friends. Unforunately for Ida's social life, school is still out until fall, so it looks like being a preadolescent in such trying times is going to make for a long summer. There is a playground in front of Ida's new building, so there's at least something to do besides tormenting and taking care of her big sister Anna. As luck would have it, Ida is quickly greeted by a boy around the same age named Ben, and he whisks her off into the forest to show her something 'cool'. After a brief search for something lightweight, they find a bottlecap which Ben says will do just fine for the little trick he's been dying to share with someone his age, as these aren't for the eyes of grown-ups. Ida holds the cap above Ben's head as he's kneeled down in the dirt, and as she drops it Ben magically moves the cap ten feet to the side with nothing but his mind, while Ida squeals with delight. How did he do that!? Ben has no solution as to how his mystical ability came to be, but it must be a pretty exclusive club because no matter how hard Ida tries to repeat the incredible feat herself, the cap simply falls straight to the ground, and it's clear she doesn't possess the necessary brain ingredients for said magic trick.
The next day Ben is anxiously awaiting Ida's presence outside her building, and as she's hanging out on the tire swings with Anna, Ben once again asks if she'd like to return to the forest where they had so much fun the day previous. Ida knows she's not supposed to leave Anna by herself because not only does Anna not speak, but she requires supervision at all times to help guide her simplistic ideologies and motor skills. Meh, what's a few minutes gonna hurt, and besides, once Anna is on those tire swings with her tennis ball, she's as good as glued in place. Ben and Ida head off once more, this time getting bolder with his abilities to move things with his mind. Pebbles shift at their feet, twigs snap in half, and the possibilities that lie ahead with such powers are surely neverending. Once they've had their fill of Ben's tricks, they head back to the playground so Ida can fetch Anna and head back to the apartment. As they round the corner, Anna is nowhere to be seen in the spot Ida left her, but before panic can fully sink in, Anna is spotted in the sandbox playing with another new kid name Aisha. Ida thought she had seen everything after witnessing Ben's mind tricks, but Anna isn't just playing with Aisha, the two seem to be speaking without physically talking. This can't really be the case though, as Anna hasn't spoken since she was 3, so whatever looks like communication happening between the two is surely just another trick that simply needs explaining. Then Anna actually speaks. Not full sentences or anything, but simple words like 'Hi', and other basic words which is remarkable in itself, but not only that, being in Aisha's presence seems to give Anna a real look of self-awareness which she hasn't had in a very long time as well. The two sisters head upstairs, Ida absolutely filled with glee as she tells her unbelieving mother (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) what she has witnessed. After a little prodding and convincing, Anna indeed does speak, and everyone is overjoyed at life's new miracle.
The four new besties are now testing their abilities even further, as whispered names far from the reach of curious ears are guessed easily by Aisha with her ability to read thoughts, while mentally impelling caps and twigs into motion has evolved into breaking branches and hurling rocks for Ben. The fun doesn't exactly last long though, as Ida whispers a derogatory message about Ben to Anna, which Aisha giddily repeats while they all laugh at Ben's expense. Ben doesn't like being laughed at, and makes his point perfectly clear by launching a rock which lands square on Aisha's stomach, causing her to buckle over and run away. Later on when it's just Ben and Ida once again, Ben leads Ida to a ledge overlooking a soccer field where the two were ridiculed days earlier by the 'big kids' before being told to get lost; this time it's Ben's turn for a little bullying of his own. As the unaware soccer players are busy playing their game, Ben is concentrating hard, and instead of the next sound being the ball meeting the mesh, the snapping of a player's leg rings out, with the only thing louder being his deafening shrieks of agony. What started out as innocent fun isn't fun to Ida anymore, but the scariest aspect might just be the enjoyment Ben seems to be experiencing with his evolving sinister powers.
As everyone heads home after an exhausting day, Ben is once again greeted by his nagging mother, a woman bold enough to put a roof over his head while treating him like he's some kind of child. Doesn't she realize what he's capable of? Her lifeless body lying on the kitchen floor tells me no, but instead of regret, Ben seems to dismiss her life as collateral damage while he does a little soul searching on his own. As Ben starts to realize not only what he's done, but what he's becoming, he has a brief but heavy bout with overstimulated emotions ranging from sorrowful cries, to outright rage as his mind tries to accept the monstrous abilities he's been given, and deal with the fact he's already pushed them over the limit even though he's still just a kid. There's little point in hoping for redemption after looking in his eyes during his first taste of real power on that soccer field, and Ida knows he has to be stopped before Ben inevitably adjusts his focus on her and her family. Can Ben be stopped, or are Ida, Aisha and their families at risk of becoming his next cool trick without knowing they're nothing more than bottlecaps to him? Someone knows, and they'd better speak up.
Movies like "The Innocents" could never work or feel plausible if the kids on screen aren't believable or feel scripted. Even though I don't speak Norwegian, it doesn't take a linguistical genius to appreciate the fine performances of everyone involved, and my fear of children has never felt stronger.
Madness Meter: 7/10
NB
