War is an act of killing; hence the powers that be must seek moral justification for waging war. In Israel, where all men and women are drafted at the age of eighteen, the painful history of persecution of the Jews, the geopolitical situation of the Middle East, the biblical faith that “God declares us righteous” are used and manipulated to legitimize military mobilization. In this process, the voices of sensitive children who question the doctrine, suffer from psychological distress, and ultimately take their own lives are often disregarded. Innocence is a delicate portrayal of these lonely children, too young to die, illustrating how they struggled with inner demons and pressure from family and peers, in a society where refusing to perform military service is frowned upon. Guy Davidi, co-director of the internationally acclaimed 5 Broken Cameras (2011), returns with a thoughtprovoking yet soft-voiced film that challenges our notions of “protecting the nation and its people”. It is also an outstanding probe into how the violence of innocence finds its roots in the family, the basic unit of our society. (Karen PARK)