The Innocents

The Innocents is a razor-sharp supernatural thriller that satisfies in every way.

It's fair to say I love dark movies that strike a nerve while creeping the hell out of you, so it's no wonder "The Innocents" is my favorite film of the year so far. The film is a superb supernatural thriller powered by a stellar cast of young actors and a story that will have you gripping the armrests off the chair you're sitting in. Yes, it's that good.

Ida (Rakel Lenora Fløttum), her nonverbal autistic sister Anna (lva Brynsmo Ramstad), and their family have just moved into their new place, a sprawling apartment complex. The move happens during the summer when most of the other children are on holiday, so Ida sets out to discover her new world while Anna stays inside with her overprotective parents.

We see early on the relationship between the girls isn't the most loving as Ida pinches her sister and, at one point, puts broken glass in her shoes. Psst, if you think that's bad, you'd better hang on. Ida befriends Ben (Sam Ashraf) and as the two explore the woods surrounding the complex, Ben shows Ida his trick – he can move objects with his mind. It's also an ability Ida shares, so the two quickly begin to bond.

A moment with a stray cat gives Ida a moment's pause when Ben takes the poor little kitty up many flights of stairs, dangles it over the edge by the scruff of its neck, and let's go. The two watch as it plummets into darkness. They race down the steps to find the cat, which has remarkably survived the fall, limping down a hallway. Ben begins to cry when he believes the cat is dead, but when it moves, he smiles and decides to allow his sadistic experiment to continue, setting the stage for what's to come.

Another young girl in the complex, Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim), has forged a psychic connection with Anna, with each able to communicate with the other. Aisha is a calming presence for Anna and as their relationship grows, we see that Anna has her own abilities and isn't the helpless young person those around her believe her to be.

As the quad of friends see their abilities grow stronger, Ida, Aisha, and Anna enjoy childhood's fascination with the unknown. But Ben grows darker, and his powers begin being used to get even with those he feels have wronged him or caused him pain. This accelerates as he sets his sights on his newfound friends and they have to find a way to stop him before he's the only one left standing.

The film contains one of the best showdown scenes I've watched in a long time. I can't do it justice, but when Ben grows angry at Aisha and confronts her, it's Anna who stands in his way, and as Ben tries to use his abilities to take Anna out, he learns that Anna is his equal, if not his superior. The tension is perfection.

Writer/director Eskil Vogt crafts a slow-burning thriller that is tense from start to finish and never lets you breathe. His depiction of childhood trauma and how it takes various shapes depending on the person is excellent. Vogt earned an Academy Award nomination as co-screenwriter for "The Worst Person in the World," but in my opinion, the story of "The Innocents" far exceeds the former.

As for the acting, I was amazed at how stellar the young cast of this movie was. Fløttum, Ashraf and Asheim are outstanding, with each crafting a believable and captivating character. Ramstad stole the show for me. The power with which she shows Anna's abilities is astounding in her big-screen debut. It's quiet and nuanced and so very good.

"The Innocents" is a superb character study of how events shape who we are and the powers we hold within can be used for good or ill. It's a razor-sharp supernatural thriller that satisfies in every way.