Voces inocentes, (Innocent Voices) (2004)

71% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
93% of users liked it
(6,326 ratings)

The bloody civil war which tore apart El Salvador in the 1980s is seen through the eyes of a young boy in this drama from director Luis Mandoki. Chava (Carlos Padilla) is 11 years old and growing up in a small town in El Salvador where the fighting between rebels and government troops is a daily… More The bloody civil war which tore apart El Salvador in the 1980s is seen through the eyes of a young boy in this drama from director Luis Mandoki. Chava (Carlos Padilla) is 11 years old and growing up in a small town in El Salvador where the fighting between rebels and government troops is a daily fact of life. Chava's father has abandoned the family, leaving him behind as the man of the house while his mother (Leonor Varela) and sister try to maintain a normal life by day while dodging bullets by night. Chava's 12th birthday is coming up, which puts the boy in a dangerous position -- at 12, he'll be old enough to join the army and be used as cannon fodder against the rebels, so he and his classmates try to find out when military recruiters will be coming to their schools so they can plan to be absent that day. However, as Chava faces both danger and adventure in his little town, the war edges in closer all the time until it can't be avoided any longer. Voces Inocentes (aka Innocent Voices) was the first Spanish-language film in 18 years for director Mandoki, who came to the United States after the international success of 1987's Gaby: A True Story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Luis Mandoki
Written By: Luis Mandoki, Oscar Orlando Torres
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 14, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Oct 9, 2007
Studio: BB Entertainment/Slow Hand

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Effective without being overwhelming.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
In the best parts of Innocent Voices, we experience both war's tragedy and its sometimes weird exhilaration -- with innocent clarity.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Mandoki, who with this film returns to the Spanish-speaking cinema after a string of Hollywood films, has brought a sure sense of the visual and taut construction to Innocent Voices.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
The many riveting moments will stay with you for days, and Padilla is well up to the task of carrying this intense story on his tiny shoulders.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
It's a harrowing tale, but one that gets phonied up with unnecessary slo-mos, manipulative soundtrack cues, and unrestrained thespianism.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
This isn't only slightly simplistic politics, it's bad drama.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
It's depressing - God, is it depressing - in a way that only a film about growing up amidst a Central American civil war can be, but it is also often uplifting, and that is a tricky balance to pull off.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This coming of age tale of a boy who suddenly becomes the man of the house is too naive and simplistic to convey the tumultuous political context of El Salvador in the 1980s.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Padilla is superb as a boy who eagerly looks forward to manhood while ruefully bidding farewell to youth.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Innocent Voices is based on a true story, and you know what that often means: It feels very untrue.
Diana Saenger, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Reminds us how the human spirit can transcend even the worst tragedy.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...the hit-you-over-the-head scenes of sudden conscriptions, relentless violence and lack of real political stance keeps this from being as good as it should have been.
Chris Barsanti, Film Journal International
...builds to its climax with inexorable precision, yet never hits audiences over the head with manufactured emotional moments.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
while [Mandoki's] subject matter is dramatic and heart-breaking, his film is slow and repetitive.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
The images of war are never easy to watch, but those feelings of profound sorrow are magnified when children are turned into soldiers with guns as big as they are.
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com
A powerful reminder of how war should never be an option in the resolution of a conflict, even as a last resort
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
Despite a pro-FMLN POV, when many consider them terrorists, this is one of the better films showing how war affects the little people who find themselves in the middle of war.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

This is a very moving story based around kids in this war torn country, and what they have to go through to stay alive. This is a very well done film.
Randy T

Gripping anti-war offering from director Luis Mandoki. <i>Innocent Voices</i> shows us the civil war in El Salvador through the eyes of a child. Mandoki presents a harsh but accurate indictment of the war and of the U.S. involvement in it.
Nicolas K

I am surprised that having witnessed a true story about a boy losing his innocence during the civil war in El Salvador with grueling pictures of the atrocities of war and the things a 11 year old goes through, I did not quite feel overwhelmed.
Daisy M

The story of a 11-year-old boy and his family who lived in El Salvador during the civil war. When you see this film, you see war from a human sight rather than political. The normal life, childhood innocence and the cruelty of war is what makes this film so real. This film should be… More
The story of a 11-year-old boy and his family who lived in El Salvador during the civil war. When you see this film, you see war from a human sight rather than political. The normal life, childhood innocence and the cruelty of war is what makes this film so real. This film should be viewed by all people around the world and it is like campaign against any kind of war. All wars can only bring disaster and suffering to people, even to the innocence,such as children. I believe there is always a way out for every problem. I highly recommend it because of the message the film brought in and for how amazingly well made it is. See this film.

Cast

            Carlos Padilla as Chava

            Leonor Varela as Kella

            Gustavo Munoz as Ancha

            Jose María Yazpik as Uncle Beto

            Ofelia Medina as Mama Toya

            Daniel Jiménez Cacho as Priest

            Jesus Ochoa as Bus Driver

            Jorge Angel Toriello as Fito

            Adrian Alonso as Chele

            Andres Marquez as Marcos

            Alejandro Felipe Flores as Ricardito

            Ana Paulina Cáceres as Rosita

            Xuna Primus as MÂª Cristina

            Paulina Gaytan Ruíz as Angelita

            Alan Andreé as Antonio

            Gustavo Sanchez Parra as Lieutenant RuÃ­z

            Hector Jimenez as RatÃ³n

            Guillermo Ríos as Soldier D

            Lourdes Villareal as Mrs. Celia

            Ania Yarasech as Teacher Carmen

            Prisiliana Hernández as Mrs. Amalia

            Aurelio Perea Morales as Mr. Yeyo

            Luisa Garza as Teacher's Daughter

            Alberto Lara as School Principal

            Filomena Hernández as Old Lady

            Lucila Castrejón as Woman in Market 1

            Jonathan Morales as Temo

            Daniela Varela as Yanira

            Rene Hernandez as RenÃ©

            Jennifer Cuevas as Co-Worker

            Gilda Navarrese as Nun

            Margarita Mandoki as Nun

            José Augustín Flores as Uncle Mario

            Manuel Zorrilla as Soldier

            Antonio García as Sergeant

            Juan Carlos Luna as American Soldier 2

            Félix Johannes as American Soldier 3

            Isabel Galván as Woman in Market 2

            Juan Navarrese Aquino as Drunk

            Luis Gonzágo Padilla as Drunk

            León Rafael as Press Photographer

            Penny Redman as Press Photographer

            María Antonia Ruíz as Flyer Woman

            Nayeli Tiapa as Spanking Girl

            Claudia Suárez as Spanking Girl

            Rafael Moya as Major C

            José Gabriel Marín as Dead 2

            Analí Bravo as Girl Aged 15

            Karla M Gonzlez as Girl Aged 15

            Esther Galván as Chicken Lady

            Edgar Leonel Mencos as Soldier at Church

            Amelia Contreras as Screaming Mom

            M De Los Angeles Osuna as Shot Woman

            Enrique Suárez as Soldier in Pick-Up

            Javier Mercado as Soldier in Jeep

            Ernesto Mejía as Soldier in Jeep

            Enrique Carrillo as Bus Passenger

            Javier Pedraza as Soldier E

            Victor as Soldier F

            Pablo Caves as American Soldier 1

            Yazpik Ofelia
            
            Medina Daniel
            
            Pilar Padilla
            
            Daniel Gimenez Cacho
            
See full cast