‘Innocent’
Year: 2022
artists: Louis Garrel, Roschdy Zem, Noemie Merlant
Year: 2022
Premiere: 5/4/23
★★★★
Louis Garrel has moved beyond the shadow of his father, Philippe Garrel, who left a lasting imprint on independent French cinema. While growing up in a family deeply rooted in cinema can feel like a pressurized launchpad, Garrel chose a path that carved out his own voice. He stepped away from his father’s familiar rhythms and themes, crafting a personal filmography that straddles comedy and drama. In Innocent, he adds another layer to his evolving perspective, offering a playful meditation on performance itself. The film invites audiences to watch an actor pretend to be someone else while revealing something more vulnerable underneath the facade.
Louis Garrel: “When I remember myself when I was 20, I think I was a total jerk”
The narrative relies on four characters and a bold, tightly wound plot that shifts from seriousness to whimsy with surgical precision. A mature woman trains in acting within a prison setting, while the man she once fell for navigates the consequences of his mother’s hurried remarriage to a man with a troubled past. A friend of the man’s son, who is also linked to the woman’s circle, confronts tragedy, adding gravity to the story. Throughout, the cast performs under layered disguises, with actors playing roles that blur the line between acting and being. The film uses these meta-theatrical tricks not as showy gimmicks but as a genuine exploration of identity, performance, and the relationships that color our lives. Garrel’s direction encourages a playful yet thoughtful energy, letting the characters breathe and evolve in surprising ways. This approach makes the work feel lived-in and connected to real human experiences, even as it dances between humor and hardship.