Overview
A haunting tale of resilience and faith in the aftermath of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- somber
- compassionate
- austere
- reflective evening
- historical film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's nuanced, difficult exploration of wartime trauma, moral complexity, and female solidarity, despite its emotionally demanding subject matter.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The convent's religious hierarchy and the wartime forces surrounding it shape the sisters' trauma, secrecy, and struggle for care.
Mathilde, Maria, the Mother Superior, Irena, and Teresa cooperate across differences to protect the pregnant sisters.
Mathilde's medical worldview encounters the nuns' religious community and its response to suffering and pregnancy.
The Polish convent functions simultaneously as a secluded religious home, a site of trauma, and a fragile refuge for the sisters.
Films like The Innocents, and why
Ida
shared postwar setting, moral complexity, female-centered historical drama, and restrained emotional intensity
The Painted Bird
shared wartime trauma, religious conflict, female solidarity, and solemn historical atmosphere
Philomena
shared true-story foundation, women confronting institutional violence, and compassionate humanism
The Third Man
shared postwar European trauma, religious institutions, and intimate character-driven drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Anne Fontaine
- Release Date
- 2016-02-10
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (433)
Cast
- Lou de Laâge
- Agata Buzek
- Agata Kulesza
- Vincent Macaigne
- Joanna Kulig
- Eliza Rycembel
- Katarzyna Dąbrowska
- Anna Próchniak
- Helena Sujecka
- Mira Maludzińska
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Brew, OVID, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, MovieMe
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Innocents about?
- A French Red Cross worker risks convention and safety to help pregnant Polish nuns rebuild their lives after wartime violence.
- What is The Innocents like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Innocents as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Innocents violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Innocents as mild.
- What did critics think of The Innocents?
- Critics broadly praised the film's nuanced, difficult exploration of wartime trauma, moral complexity, and female solidarity, despite its emotionally demanding subject matter.
- Which films are like The Innocents?
- Films with a similar feel include Ida, The Painted Bird, Philomena, and The Third Man.
- How long is The Innocents?
- The Innocents runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Innocents?
- In United States, The Innocents streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Brew, OVID, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
