Innocence is a short film directed by Ben Reid. It follows a detective (Alice Lowe) as she investigates the suspected murder of a care home worker (Richard Glover) and she’s pointed in the direction of a resident named Dylan who has Down Syndrome, as does the actor playing him (Tommy Jessop).

Most of the performances are competent enough, especially Laurence Spellman and Alice Lowe, each of whom seems to be playing a character familiar from other productions over the years. Glover on the other hand rises above the basic performance level and seems to be putting in more effort – he is very close to being the film’s standout performance.

But in the end it all comes down to Dylan, the murder suspect. Jessop is very capable in his role. Occasionally, he is a little hard to understand, but this only adds to the authenticity of the portrayal. He was clearly committed to the character and I think it’s fair to say he got the job done.

The script is by the director and Owen Gower. This being a short film, it needs to get moving pretty fast, and it does. From the first moment to the last, every second counts. It should also be said that this is a film that despite its short length it does demand your attention, to the extent that you might rewind it in case you missed something.

The film was shot by Paul Kirsop and while there’s nothing ground-breaking it does look very professional, almost like many of the beloved police procedurals on TV. I mean that in a good way.

Michael Blainey provides the score which unfortunately is easy to ignore as you’re focusing on the action. On the occasions when it breaks through and you can clearly hear a part of the score, it isn’t especially memorable.

Despite the fast pace, this film manages to follow a formula familiar from many of today’s crime drama, but only twenty minutes long. If you’re fan of those types of shows, you may think you’re able to anticipate how it will end. I won’t go into detail, but even the most die-hard fans of the crime genre may be a bit surprised by the ending.

Given the limitations of the short film, Innocence does what it’s set out to do, and succeeds.

Director: Ben Reid
Writers: Ben Reid, Owen Gower
Stars: Alice Lowe, Tommy Jessop, Laurence Spellman
Andrew Moodie
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