An 11-year-old boy’s harrowing experiences in war-torn 1980s El Salvador is the subject of director Luis Mandoki’s (“When a Man Loves a Woman”) intense drama, which is based on the real-life childhood of scripter Oscar Torres. “Innocent Voices” endeavors to depict the tragedy of war through the eyes of ordinary people caught in the crossfire, and the filmmakers have found a highly-effective medium in mesmeric young star Carlos Padilla Leñero as the intrepid Chava. There are a few problems with this film, foremost among them being an overly melodramatic (and extended) third act, but Leñero’s revelatory performance atones for the missteps. The gorgeous Leonor Varela, who played the title role in ABC’s “Cleopatra” mini-series, also impresses as the single mother trying to protect her brood from the danger that constantly surrounds them.
When his father abandons the family in the midst of El Salvador’s brutal civil war, the diminutive Chava assumes the role of man of the house. In that capacity he literally shields his younger brother and sister from the gunfire that explodes nightly around their cardboard home in the impoverished village of Cuscatazingo, and spends his days hustling to find work to help his seamstress mother feed the family. But Chava’s 12th birthday is fast approaching and with it a forced conscription into the government’s army. After a surprise visit from his Uncle Beto (Jose Maria Yazpik), a member of the rebel resistance, Chava arrives at a crossroads where he must choose sides in a battle he doesn’t want nor understand. It’s here that this grim tale of innocence lost unfortunately begins lumbering toward a formulaic ending. What will linger, however, is Leñero’s performance. (Not rated. Running time: 120 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 14, 2005. Read the original PDF.