AllMovie

After his glorious, uplifting 1991 film A Woman's Tale, director Paul Cox continues his affinity for portraying elderly characters' wants and needs in Innocence. Although the film fails to produce the illuminating shock of recognition of that distinguished feature, it sheds light on romantic yearnings amongst older individuals, something viewers almost never get to see onscreen. Though the story is a tad predictable, and the movie ebbs and flows too often, it is acted with consummate passion by leads Julia Blake and Charles "Bud" Tingwell, who make the reunited lovers warm and real, and Terry Norris is excellent as the scorned husband who has not experienced romantic pain in many years. The movie deserves credit for simply letting the characters unfold without condescending towards them; the audience never gets the reductive, nonsensical approach of insensitive American films that treat aging as if it were a negative fact of life. Innocence is smarter and more informed and leaves a more memorable impression.