Innocent Voices (2004)

A young boy, in an effort to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war which is raging all around him.

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writers:

Luis Mandoki (screenplay), Oscar Orlando Torres (screenplay)

Stars:

Carlos Padilla, Leonor Varela, Xuna Primus

13 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carlos Padilla	...	Chava
Leonor Varela	...	Kella
Gustavo Muñoz	...	Ancha
José María Yazpik	...	Uncle Beto
Ofelia Medina	...	Mama Toya
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Priest
Jesús Ochoa	...	Chofer
Jorge Angel Toriello	...	Fito
Adrian Alonso	...	Chele
Andrés Márquez	...	Marcos
Alejandro Felipe	...	Ricardito (as Alejandro Felipe Flores)
Ana Paulina Caceres	...	Rosita (as Ana Paulina Cáceres)
Xuna Primus	...	Cristina Maria
Paulina Gaitan	...	Angelita (as Paulina Gaytan Ruíz)
Alan Chávez	...	Antonio (as Alan Andreé)

Storyline

A young boy, in an effort to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war which is raging all around him.

---

Plot Keywords:

1980s | el salvador | boy | young love | house on fire | 

---

Taglines:

How much will a mother sacrifice for the love of her son...

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main character's name, Chava, is the diminutive (nickname) for anyone named Salvador, which is also the name of the country the story takes place.

---

Goofs

The candles on Chava's birthday cake form an arc of 270 degrees (3/4 of a circle) in a close up and then they are shown placed in a complete circle in subsequent wide shots.

---

Quotes

[repeated line]
Chava: I'm the man of the house.

---

Soundtracks

Se te fue la mano
Written by Jorge Borrego
Performed by Orquesta Internacional Hermanos Flores
Courtesy of Discolando

User Reviews

An incredible journey as seen through the innocent eyes of an 11-year-old boy.

I saw this film in El Salvador, while I was on vacation visiting relatives. It is a very good film. Somehow, I'd hoped that it would be this good. I have seen previous films about El Salvador, from "Salvador" by Oliver Stone to "Romero", but none of those films come close to portraying how this civil war affected thousands of civilians. The film depicts the story of Chava, an 11 year-old boy, whose main concern is that as soon as he turns 12 he will be recruited by the Military to fight the Guerillas. Through his eyes, we see the atrocities that are brought upon his family,friends and his own life. Though it is set in El Salvador, this could be a story from anywhere around the world, where a Civil War breaks out and the effects on its own people.

The characters are well written; the plot well told and the actors, especially, the kid playing Chava are very good. It is void of any clichés as many films when dealing with delicate subjects such as a civil war. You can see that these are real people going through a great ordeal, unlike "Salvador" or even "Romero" whose characters and plots were obviously made up based on facts read on news papers. I highly recommend this film to everyone who wants to see the reality of war and its consequences on the lives of innocent people.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Mexico] Official site [United States]

Country:

Mexico USA Puerto Rico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

4 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Innocent Voices

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$192,055, 16 October 2005

Gross USA:

$837,878

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,048,103

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lawrence Bender Productions, MUVI Films, Organización Santo Domingo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1