• Innocent Voices
• Luis Mandoki
• Mexico
• Spanish
• Drama, War
• 2004
• 

From the always turbulent nation of El Salvador, plunged into a long drawn out civil war pitting ideological differences as well as class struggles we are brought to a gripping movie done in Mexico. This tells the story of Chava (Carlos Padilla), an 11 year old who is at the cusp of turning 12. What makes that different with other children getting a year older was that in the civil war ravaged country, 12 year olds are drafted into the army. But then, Chava, even at a tender young age is forced to become the man of the house because of an absent father and must learn to survive the daily harassments, shootouts and bombings in his village and eventually manage to escape the country and escape being drafted.

Violence and brutality abounds in the movie, but its an eye opener of what war can do to its people and children despite many cliches.