the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Innocent Voices was one of the best international movies I have seen this year. I liked how this movie really pulled the audience into the chaos of war right away. It showed how much this war was a part of their everyday life. The amount of violence very close to their homes was highlighted a few times, and showed just how dangerous the area can be in a war zone. The fact that they also recruited kids at the ages of 12 years old is also incredible to me. This, among many other reasons, shows just how crazy this specific war really is. I also liked following the love story between Chava and Cristina Maria. I thought it was cute when they grew to care a lot about each other. For example, when Chava got a group together and played music outside her house, and when he came back and saw her house in shambles and started crying. Though I had a feeling it was coming, seeing Ancha getting hung was saddening. He was very funny throughout the entire film, and seeing him like that left a dark spot on the outcome. Things also seemed to escalate when dealing with the father of the church. He was very anti-war, and tried to do all he could to help some of the people in the city. Though the soldiers were a bit more lenient towards the father, they did end up taking him away and presumably killed him due to rebellious actions. But, all in all, it was a very enjoyable film.

I have mixed feeling on this film. The idea was very good and the message it portrayed was very significant and powerful, but I felt like the acting and production quality was lacking. I really disliked the lead actor and felt like he was very cliché and cheesy. He was also a horrible actor to begin with. Other than that, the movie was very powerful. I rally liked how it showed the perspective of the civil war from the innocent civilians' side. Chava, the eleven year old main character, had a very touching story. There were some moments of his though that were very corny, for example when he walks into his crush's destroyed house. He picks up some of her tattered, burned clothing, grips it tightly in his fist, and runs off to join the resistance. Other than that, I liked how the movie portrayed the every day struggles of those not in the war. Almost every night, out of nowhere, military soldiers would raid the slums, shooting up each house. I personally could never imagine how hard that would be to live with until I saw this movie.

Innocent Voices is based on the true story of a young boy growing up in war torn El Salvador. Chava, and his family, know that once he turns 12 the Salvadorian army will come and take him away to become a child soldier. Since his father left, Chava is the 'man of the house' and helps to bring in income to support his mother and two younger siblings. He keeps his siblings safe from the bullets coming through the wall of their house during the gun fights between the guerrillas and the army. The cinematography in this film is fabulous and the casting was perfect. Sometimes the amount of violence seems almost exaggerated and it is a harrowing thought to think that children went, and are going, through this. This was an amazing, touching movie.

Luis Mandoki writes and directs a very real and suspenseful film, which follows the difficult daily life of a young boy and his family amidst the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. Chava is an adventurous young lad who, along with all his friends, is attempting to escape the awaited recruitment by the Salvadorean army upon the arrival of his twelfth birthday. The film is strikingly authentic in its depiction of the atrocities that poor and innocent families underwent during the horrific civil war that was taking place. As a spectator, I was completely drawn into the story and the characters, truly feeling the moments of love and contentment, or pain, fear, and utter desperation. This production should be applauded for its authenticity and candid portrayal of what reality meant for the everyday people of El Salvador and how the civil war undeniably affected their lives in appalling and unforgettable ways. Furthermore, the cast was superb, particularly Carlos Padilla as young Chava and Leanor Varela as his mother. I will carry the images and stories from this film with me for a long time to come.