Inocente

As I alluded to in this post, Inocente was the only Oscar winning short film of 2012 I hadn’t seen in the theater when it came out. And it’s surprisingly hard to find now, only available to stream on iTunes. For the sake of this project I paid for the download though. Read on to see if it’s worth it.

I actually loved the subject matter. The title character is a teenage girl who has been homeless ever since her mother left Inocente’s abusive father. The family of four (including Inocente’s two younger brothers) has been alternating between shelters and other people’s homes, never getting to stay anywhere more than a few months at a time. When we meet them they are crammed into someone’s garage. Things are complicated further by the fact that they are undocumented.

We later learn that Inocente’s mother abuses her as well, as if the poor child wasn’t dealing with enough. However, channeling her emotions into art provides her a glimmer of hope. A nonprofit devoted to sponsoring art programs for at-risk youth chooses her for the rare honor of getting her own exhibit, and she sells all the work she wants!

I have to say I’m not surprised. She is really talented and eventually gets to move into a dormitory for artistically-minded homeless youth. She is also strong enough to express a sentiment shared by other “tortured artist” types, as well as wise people in general: “I’m wouldn’t change anything I’ve been through because it’s made me who I am.”

The film was made a decade ago (although not released until a few years later) and you might be wondering what became of Inocente. You can read all about the now 25-year-old on her official website: https://www.originalinocenteart.com/. It also contains links to her social media. She’s still creating art, she lives in an apartment, she fights for the homeless and undocumented, and she’s also big on helping animals. God bless this wonderful woman.

What about the movie though? It’s great but to be honest I have a hard time recommending paying $3.99 to rent a 40 minute film, unless you’re really passionate about the issues covered.

That concludes this fun project but a new set of entries will come soon!

Final Verdict: Download if you’re big on the subject matter.