Last night I screened Voces Inocentes for some students and staff at the University of Scranton. It is definitely one of, if not the best, movies about the Salvadoran civil war. It's a true story based on the life of Oscar Torres who grew up in a town caught between the guerrillas and the government in the 1980s. At eleven years old, Oscar (Chava in the movie), becomes the man of the house following his dad's exodus for the United States. He lives with his mom, little brother, farty sister, and, later, with his grandmother.
It's a powerful story about survival in the midst of civil war, child soldiers as no young boy wants to turn twelve out of fear being forcibly conscripted into the army, and the roles of the Catholic Church and the United Sates in civil war El Salvador.
If you have the time and the money, I would also encourage you to bring Oscar out to the screening. We've had him at the University of Scranton twice in the last few years. He's great with students and provides some additional stories about the film that are worth learning about, especially what happened to Cristina Maria.
