A captivating war story The Innocents (M)

111 mins This ‘‘yet another WWII story’’ is, in fact, so beautifully told that it grips from the opening scene and rapidly turns into an enthralling, actuallyslightly-post-WWII story based on reallife horrors. In December 1945, the French Red Cross is still working in Poland when one of its young doctors is called to assist at a local nunnery. It transpires, the Polish Sisters are in dire need of medical assistance, but neither the doctor, nor the nuns, can reveal publicly what has happened. The resulting dilemma raises issues of faith and ethics as much for the Brides of Christ as their communist medic.

Without giving away the key revelations of the story, this may sound rather prosaic – but The Innocents gently delivers a strong narrative that forces the viewer, whether religious or not, to examine his or her own judgements about an appalling situation. This suspension of disbelief is aided by universally excellent performances by the luminous Lou de Laage (Respire (Breathe)) as the reluctant doctor and the superb Agata Buzek, a worldly nun torn between her duty and her conscience.

What could have been another bynumbers war movie is magicked away from the traditional battlefields and into the lives of innocent women who become the victims of unseen war crimes.

With a lightness of touch but deadly serious motives, it is therefore not surprising that this female-centric film is directed by French woman Anne Fontaine (Gemma Bovery, Coco Before Chanel) who employed a female cinematographer, editor and production designer. The result is a sensitive, snow-laden fable, which captivates. – Sarah Watt