Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 24, 2021

With “Altered Innocence: Vol. 1,” the label aims to find a fresh audience for a collection of short films with LGBTQ themes, also dealing with endeavors exploring the growing pains of adolescence. These are 12 offerings that vary in tone and creative approach, and a few of them are music videos that take the surreal route to understanding human sexuality and identity. “Altered Innocence: Vol. 1” hopes to share underappreciated or forgotten shorts from a wide variety of moviemaking voices. Some of these selections aim for laughs or tears, while a few gradually expose the horrors of life, but they all offer a distinct creative fingerprint, delivering cinematic stories from burgeoning talent.

Shorts

“Our Time” (2:52, 2.0 LPCM) Directed by Cam Archer. A music video for the band Imperial Teen.

“Gabber Lover” (13:34, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Anna Cazenave Cambert. Mila (Mila Lendormy) travels to a lake with Laurie (Laurie Reynal), revealing true feelings for her dear friend. Rejected, Mila leaves, inspiring Laurie to reunite with her pal.

“Doors Cut Down” (17:53, Spanish 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Antonio Hens. Guillermo (Israel Rodriguez) is a wise teenager who doesn't have much interest in his classmates, preferring brief flings with older men at the mall. He's on the prowl for maturity, with one target, a tutor he's left alone with inside his family's apartment, taking some work to seduce.

“Les Vacanes Continuent” (3:35, French 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Yann Gonzalez. A woman (Kate Moran) hits the streets, murdering all the men she encounters.

“After School Knife Fight” (21:36, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel. The band Knife Fight is on the verge of breaking up, with member Laetitia (Marylou Mayniel) about to move away. The teenagers meet again, struggling to deal with unresolved feelings they have for one another.

“Bunny” (18:42, English 5.1 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Shaun Hughes. A young man with rabbit ears deals with bullies and his depressed father while mourning the loss of his mother.

“GU04” (3:22, 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Peter Strickland. A fight between naked men breaks out inside a locker room.

“Terror, Sisters!” (27:49, French 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Alexis Langlois. Sick and tired of demeaning and abusive behavior, four trans women imagine their revenge.

“Niemand” (6:18, French 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Bertrand Mandico. A woman (Jenna Thiam) has a surreal experience after requesting a car from a mystery figure (Elina Lowensohn) in this music video from the band Kompromat.

“Gambozinos (Wild Haggis)” (19:48, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Joao Nicolau. A boy (Tomas Franco) deals with troubling incidents and bullies at summer camp.

“Jakt (Hunt)” (28:42, Norwegian 2.0 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Gjertrud Bergaust. Young teen Asgaut (Havid Kringstad Hagen) befriends adult farmer Kjell (Cato Skimten Storengen), with their relationship eventually attacked by members of the community.

“Norte Heritage” (24:16, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA) Directed by Jonathan Vinel and Caroline Poggi. Anais (Sarah-Megan Allouch) and Lucas (Lucas Domejean) are teenagers in a relationship, falling in love as the young man wrestles with his position as the son of pornographer Pierre Woodman.

Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image contains multiple sources and aspect ratios. Quality is consistent, delivering detail that's quite valuable for a few of the most stylish additions, and exteriors, especially with "Jolk" present a dimensional appreciation of exteriors. Skin particulars are appreciable. Colors also range in intensity, with "Terror, Sisters!" making use of brighter hues, offering hotter pinks and blues. Greenery on "Jolk" is lush. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is nicely resolved when applicable. Some mild banding is present on a few of the shorts.

Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

"Vol. 1" contains different sound mixes for the shorts, exploring a small number of languages. No issues with dialogue exchanges are present, finding voices crisp throughout. Scoring cues are equally sharp, while soundtrack selections and music video offerings deliver a heavier, louder presence, with a pleasing electro pop beat for some of the cuts, offering a little low-end thump. Atmospherics are also appreciable when encountered.

Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

Altered Innocence Vol. 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Altered Innocence: Vol. 1" provides a film festival experience on Blu-ray, with wild visions mixed in with sobering realities. There's something for everyone here, with the coming-of-age tales detailing universal feelings on love and fear, while "Bunny" provides a crushing examination of grief from the POV of a teen who doesn't know how to process his hurt. Not everything scores ("Terror, Sisters!" is zero sugar Almodovar), but the range of emotions and experiences presented on "Altered Innocence: Vol. 1" is impressive, making for an impressively varied sit.