Perhaps in the genre of "A Beautiful Mind" "Echoes of Innocence" captures the intensity of teenagers caught in the whirlwind of their passions, hopes, and conflicts. Using beautiful, mysterious and powerful visuals "Echoes" enters the intensity of one girl's emotions, Sara, and her search for meaning, love, and a faith that endures. Especially in the climax where events become dangerous and murky, director Todd Simms evokes the dramatic complexities projected by the Swedish icon and film director, Ingmar Bergmann.
The typical milieu of teenage life is revealed in "Echoes" with basketball practices and locker room schemes, parties, drama practice, lunchtime in the cafeteria, and classroom life. In the mixed bag of best confidences and betrayals, guys looking to carve many notches on their belts, girls looking for romance and excitement, one girl tries to swim above the tide and not get pulled down into the fierce current of sex and intrigue. That girl, Sara Jenkins, experiences all the temptations of a normal high school coed and yet she doesn't succumb. How and why she does this forms the plot of "Echoes of Innocence."
Non-dorky and compelling Sara is beautiful inside and out and unwittingly creates a mystique that no one can fully comprehend, not even her only adult friend and confessor, a Catholic priest. Sara believes in God with her whole heart but this is not a Catholic film. She has no "religion", just a strong faith that even inspires her priest to the highest standards. Director Simms is more than a storyteller; he is an artist using common themes in incredibly artistic ways.
Sitting on the edge of my chair for the second half, my heart raced as I couldn't figure out how all the plot threads would be woven together. I don't want to rob you of that delicious movie-going torture, of not knowing how it will end. But the way there is probably more important than the end itself. How Sara copes with her dysfunctional mom, uninvolved caretaker grandmother, deceitful best friend, guys on the prowl, and her inner faith is something that should be required viewing and discussing for all 10-18 year olds in America. The rest of us should also see "Echoes" reassured that morals and character are not dead in America.
The characters' struggles are felt, not described. Many scenes seem short on dialog because they are filled with subtext and are part of a cinematic world that is much bigger than the particular experience being explored. Whether Sara is fending off unwanted approaches of the macho basketball team, confiding in her best friend or becoming intrigued by the new guy in her class, David, we see real relationships that unfold naturally and we are drawn into each one deeply.
The typical milieu of teenage life is revealed in "Echoes" with basketball practices and locker room schemes, parties, drama practice, lunchtime in the cafeteria, and classroom life. In the mixed bag of best confidences and betrayals, guys looking to carve many notches on their belts, girls looking for romance and excitement, one girl tries to swim above the tide and not get pulled down into the fierce current of sex and intrigue. That girl, Sara Jenkins, experiences all the temptations of a normal high school coed and yet she doesn't succumb. How and why she does this forms the plot of "Echoes of Innocence."
Non-dorky and compelling Sara is beautiful inside and out and unwittingly creates a mystique that no one can fully comprehend, not even her only adult friend and confessor, a Catholic priest. Sara believes in God with her whole heart but this is not a Catholic film. She has no "religion", just a strong faith that even inspires her priest to the highest standards. Director Simms is more than a storyteller; he is an artist using common themes in incredibly artistic ways.
Sitting on the edge of my chair for the second half, my heart raced as I couldn't figure out how all the plot threads would be woven together. I don't want to rob you of that delicious movie-going torture, of not knowing how it will end. But the way there is probably more important than the end itself. How Sara copes with her dysfunctional mom, uninvolved caretaker grandmother, deceitful best friend, guys on the prowl, and her inner faith is something that should be required viewing and discussing for all 10-18 year olds in America. The rest of us should also see "Echoes" reassured that morals and character are not dead in America.
The characters' struggles are felt, not described. Many scenes seem short on dialog because they are filled with subtext and are part of a cinematic world that is much bigger than the particular experience being explored. Whether Sara is fending off unwanted approaches of the macho basketball team, confiding in her best friend or becoming intrigued by the new guy in her class, David, we see real relationships that unfold naturally and we are drawn into each one deeply.