Die Unschuldigen

Eight-year-old Jakub lives alone with his mother, Helena. Recently, Helena has met a man, Milan, who happens to be a small time drug dealer. After his arrest she regularly visits him in prison and occasionally works for him as a courier. Following his release, she imagines that she might just be a little closer to her dream of a happy family and a real home. All at once many things seem easier, even her drug runs, now that Milan is there to look after Jakub. But then one of Milan’s clients turns up at the flat. The situation soon escalates and Jakub is obliged to watch as Milan beats up their guest. When Helena returns, Milan has disappeared and Jakub is hiding in his mother’s room. The hastily wiped traces of blood in the bathroom tell her something bad must have happened ... It may be usual to talk about difficult children, but in Die Unschuldigen the focus is on difficult adults and their sometimes unfathomable behaviour. The film’s cinematography succeeds brilliantly in adopting the point of view of a child as he tries to make sense of these adults’ frantic search for some small glimmer of hope.