In 1945 Poland a French Red Cross doctor comes to the aid of a group of Polish nuns, many of whom are pregnant after their vows were violated by Russian soldiers.
This sensitive and emotionally resonant drama centres on Mathilde, a young French Red Cross doctor, who comes to the aid of a group of nuns, many of whom have been impregnated by rampaging Soviet soldiers.
Based on real events, Fontaine explores this fraught situation with great humanity and sensitivity. Mathilde protects the nuns not only from further attacks but also from the convents hierarchy who wish to conceal the scandal at all costs.
The Innocents is an emotionally layered, tender and insightful drama. The complexities of trauma and shame are deftly and sensitively handled through the prism of faith, humanism, compassion and acceptance.
“A potent glimpse of female suffering in the aftermath of war.” ★★★★ – The Guardian
“Not even nuns are spared war horror.” – New York Times Critics’ Pick
France, Poland 2016 | Language: French, Polish | 115 minutes | Cert: Club
Director: Anne Fontaine
Cast: Lou de Laâge, Agata Buzek, Agata Kulesza
