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Innocent (Canada/ Hong Kong)

Made on a low budget, this English/Mandarin/Cantonese film follows the journey of a family who migrate from Hong Kong to Canada. It shows the different trials and tribulations that every member of the family faces after moving to Canada and how this all affects their relationship.

17-year-old Eric migrates to Canada and is thus forced to confront different emotional and cultural problems. He must not only adjust to the new environment, but also come to terms with his homosexuality. Standing at the brink of adulthood, he encounters a series of potential romantic interests - his handsome cousin whom he meets when the family initially stays with them, a schoolmate with whom he becomes great friends but when they kiss once, things change forever, a middle aged lawyer who likes Eric but then he likes every asian boy and finally a kitchen helper. They represent different stages in Eric's development, from infatuation, sex, love to a sense of responsibility. Meanwhile His father and mother are having tensions in their marriage and the father goes back to Hong Kong and they are in the process of getting divorced. The mom befriends a guy in her adult MBA class who ultimately helps her starting up the restaurant. In order to help the kitchen helper , he travels to NY and stays there ready to face challenges of life.

What I thought interesting about this movie was the way they portrayed how a new family gets adjusted to the environment in a new country and cope up with new friends in the area and what challenges life has to offer. Everything else about the movie was strictly ok. (4/10)

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