This is the kind of contemplative cinema that is rare here, so kudos to first-time feature director Wong Chen-Hsi for her dreamy Innocents, which centers on two lost teens trying to find meaning in a harsh adult world. Filmed on-site at the North South corridor of the old KTM railway tracks, alongside many decrepit buildings around the city, the film maintains a quiet pace throughout, keenly filmed by American cinematographer Joseph White, whose beautiful visuals buoy the film.
The storyline is simple: Newly arrived transfer student Syafiqah (Nameera Ashley) befriends Huat (Cai Chengyue), the local prankster in school who has a penchant for turning up late for class, if at all. While little is known about the former, the story of Huat slowly unfolds. As a means of escape from a drunkard father and bullying teachers, he hangs around at lush, empty spaces to lull his life away, with Syafiqah drawn to follow him.
While the premise is not entirely convincing, hampered by its two leads who deliver their lines as if they were reading from a text book (both are newbie amateur actors), Innocents works at a more metaphysical level. We’re thankful that dialogue is kept to a minimum here as director Wong chooses to tell the story through its dreamlike settings, and the camerawork is some of the best we’ve seen in a local film. It’s a meditative tone-poem that is a must-watch simply for its sheer audacity in challenging the conventions of local cinema, and that to us, is worth the ticket price alone.
