On the surface, the film deals with the complexities of childhood but as the story progresses, it is clear the kids in this film have more to worry about than the issues that are often raised in films of this sort. Our young protagonists have to cope with the onset of superhuman abilities, a matter which is made more problematic when Ben decides to use his powers to hurt others. At the film’s conclusion, there is a face-off between Ben and the other children and this leads to a tragic ending. Does Ben survive? Or do the other children get the better of him? Let’s take a closer look.
How does the film begin?
As the film begins, we are introduced to Ida and Anna, who move with their family into a new residential complex. Ida seems to resent her new surroundings so rather than staying indoors a lot of the time, she decides to explore the world outside. It’s unclear what Anna thinks about the move as she is autistic and unable to communicate. It’s evident at the start of the film that Ida is far from being an ‘innocent’ little girl. She nips her sister’s skin, hides glass in the poor girl’s shoes, and takes pleasure from crushing a worm. However, this behaviour is nothing when compared to Ben’s actions, the young boy that she meets at a nearby playground.
Do Ben and Ida become friends?
The children are instantly drawn to one another, partly because they are both in need of a friend and partly because they share the same dark sensibilities. Ben is quick to show his dark side when he kills a cat in front of Ida. While she took part in the torture of the animal beforehand, his murderous behaviour seems to scare her. Regardless of this, the two remain friends but they start to grow apart later in the film.
Does Anna make a friend?
Yes! Anna befriends Aisha but they don’t communicate as others do. Instead, they use telepathy to talk to one another. They are connected in others ways too, as they are both able to experience one another’s feelings. When Anna hurts her foot on the glass that Ida put in her shoe, for example, Aisha can feel Anna’s pain.
What other powers do the children have?
Anna shares Aisha’s telepathic abilities but she also has the power to control objects with her mind. Ben is also able to do this as he demonstrates in the film. Initially, he is able to control small rocks but his powers escalate as the film goes on. Ida doesn’t seem to have any powers but when the film draws near to its conclusion, it would appear that she has telekinetic powers too.
How do Ben’s powers escalate?
Ben begins to realise that he can use his powers on more than just small rocks. As the film progresses, he is able to push Aisha down with his mind. Back at home, he also causes an iron pan to drop down from a shelf onto his mother. He then uses his mind to direct a boiling pot onto her, severely burning the already injured woman. After letting her die, he finds other ways to use his powers, such as killing a man with a rock after mentally directing it towards the unfortunate guy’s head, and causing another boy to fall to the floor after mentally breaking his shin bone. Aisha is able to sense what Ben is up to and tries to stop him. Ben then tries to choke her using his telekinetic powers but Ida and Anna arrive just in time to save her. Ben runs away but his violent rampage isn’t over yet. Sadly, Aisha learns this to her cost.
What happens to Aisha?
Aisha has become Ben’s arch-enemy after trying to fight against him. Unfortunately, she is unprepared for his next form of attack. Later that night, Ben starts to control Aisha’s mother’s mind and causes her to attack Aisha. As she is unable to break free from Ben’s mental grip, the mother then stabs Aisha to death! When Ida later finds out about this from her parents, she begins to worry the same fate could happen to her.
What does Ida do?
Ida pretends to be friends with Ben again and takes him to a bridge. When Ben is standing near it, Ida rushes to him from behind and pushes him over the side. He falls to the ground and is then injured. Ida is then taken over by a dark force, presumably directed by Ben, and begins to wander into the traffic. She is hit by a car but thankfully survives. When she wakes up in hospital with a broken leg, she is told that Ben is still alive and that he only suffered minor injuries. Ida denies pushing him over the bridge purposefully, despite a witness report suggesting otherwise.
What happens to Ben?
At the end of the film, Anna faces off against Ben in the playground. They mentally attack one another but Ben seems to have the upper hand, at least at first. After breaking free of her cast using a previously untapped power, Ida joins her sister. The two stand together and join hands and mentally attack him. It would appear that they aren’t the only ones as other children in the playground seem to be using their minds against him too, although it’s unclear if they are simply onlookers or active participants in the fight. Eventually, Ben is overpowered by the mental attack inflicted on him. After clutching his chest he becomes lifeless and it can be assumed that he has died. As such, Ida and Anna should now be safe from any further attacks. In one sense, it is a shame that Ben had to die as it was clear that his actions were causing him some mental anguish. With intervention from a caring adult, perhaps he could have been saved from his tragic end. His mother didn’t seem to show him such care, hence her fate! Still, the film ends with his death and perhaps that was for the best after all. If Ida and Anna hadn’t stood against him, his powers may have grown worse over time. But what do you think? Did Ben deserve to die? Let us know in the comments below. Read More: The Innocents Movie Review
Feel free to check out more of our movie reviews here!
