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The Innocent

L'Innocent

  • Status: Released
  • 12-10-2022
  • Runtime: 99 min
  • Score: 6.753
  • Vote count: 365

Sylvie, a nearly sixty-year-old woman, has fallen in love with Michel, a thug she marries in prison. The couple dream of starting again with a clean slate by opening a flower shop. But Sylvie’s son Abel, convinced that Michel will fall into a life of crime, disapproves of this relationship.

Louis Garrel

Abel Lefranc

Roschdy Zem

Michel Ferrand

Noémie Merlant

Clémence Genièvre

Anouk Grinberg

Sylvie Lefranc

Jean-Claude Pautot

Jean-Paul

Yanisse Kebbab

Caviar truck driver

Léa Wiazemsky

Sylvie's witness

Manda Touré

Woman at the aquarium

Olga Amelchenko

Maud

Romain Blachier

Chosen one at the first marriage

Zorah Ait Maten

Chosen one at the second marriage

Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat

Jean-Claude

Joséphine Caraballo

Guest at the inauguration of the flower shop

Véronique Kapoyan

Guest at the inauguration of the flower shop

Florent Masarin

Commissioner Delmas

Franck Gonzales

Interrogation policeman

Jean-Mickaël Bricard

Prison guard at the portico

Sylvain Longo

First prison guard at the wedding

René Palomba

Second prison guard at the wedding

Pascal Sighrouchni

Prison guard delivering the mail

Laëtitia Clément

Nurse at the hospital

Thomas Rortais

Nurse at the hospital

Côme Thieulin

Server at the Conforama grill

Mattéo Rozier

Grill server during the robbery

Zeyaelddin Seyed Saleh

Hisham

Shahriar Sadrolashrafi

Iranian at the cemetery

Mikael Foisset

Inmate

Rachid Leghrib

Inmate

CinemaSerf

I like Louis Garrel - he has something about him that I usually find engaging to watch on screen. Here, though, the story is all just a little too far-fetched! He ("Abel") takes his mother "Sylvie" (Anouk Grinberg) to prison where she runs an acting class and where she has hooked up with "Michel" (Roschdy Zem). Now "Abel" is a bit sceptical about his mother marrying an ex-con and soon he and his best mate "Clémence" (Noémie Merlant) and carrying out some fairly clumsy surveillance on the man. "Michel" is no fool though and before we know it, the spying pair are mixed up a plan to pinch a great supply of caviar from a van in a petrol station car park! What ensues here does raise the odd smile and is generally an adequate little drama - but it still tends a little too much to weak slapstick inso far as it's a comedy. It's also a love story and a family drama that is better than soap, but only just - it's like we are watching an incomplete episode in the lives of people that we don't really know - nor get to know, either. Merlant is a breath of fresh air and she gels well with her increasingly hapless pal "Abel" as we head to a denouement with a few twists to keep us guessing. I did quite enjoy it, but it's totally forgettable fayre, sorry.