In the 1960's people just didn't talk about child sexual abuse. They also didn't depict it outright in movies. The fact that this movie was cast in the setting of Victorian England further demonstrates its intent to highlight an era of extreme sexual repression, when feelings and emotions that didn't fit with the social and cultural mores of the time were subjugated to evil thoughts and deeds.
Miss Giddens was a perfect example of a woman who was raised in a highly religious and fundamentalist environment, who could never admit that sexual longings and urges exist in herself. Nor could she ever conceptualize how young children could suffer abuse from observing violent and sexual acts committed by adults in their presence. Whether there was any direct abuse to the children is speculative, but anyone who has had any training or education in the field of psychology knows that vicarious trauma can be transmitted to children who witness sexually deviant and violent acts.
Miles exhibits classic sociopathic behaviors at school and we're given clues to this when we're told "the other children are afraid of him" and Miles himself starts to admit that he "hurts things". There is also the scene where Miles hides a dove with a broken neck under his pillow and Miss Giddens assumes was killed by Quint's ghost, but in actuality, Miles is committing a classic behavior that many children of sexual abuse do at a young age, which is to kill or maim animals.
Individuals who have been sexually abused are often described as "seductive", which is more about lack of clarity around boundaries and intimacy. A child's ability to develop strong boundaries around their sexuality can be destroyed from sexual abuse and physical violence. We can see that Miss Giddens is drawn into the seductive nature of both children, but especially Miles. As her own sexual repression and desires are projected onto Miles, as she is pulled into a desire that causes her lose all her senses about the fact he is a "child", and not the sexually deviant, yet desirous "Quint". Her desire is so strong that she allows herself to be drawn into an inappropriate kiss from Miles, further demonstrating that the child's sexual boundaries are lost, and so too are hers.
In the end, Miss Giddens forces Miles to confront a "memory", which is aptly stated by Mrs. Gros when she attempts to point out to Miss Giddens that the little girl is overwrought, not from witnessing the presence of a ghost, but from a "bad memory". Mrs. Gros knows that these children witnessed unspeakable horrors and seems to be often taken aback when discussing these issues with Miss Giddens. Miss Giddens immediately considers these events as evil abominations of ghostly presence rather Mrs. Gros' apparent sense of real incidents that are too taboo to discuss out loud.
The fact that Miles dies from the knowledge that he forced to confront is more of a "psychological death", as many children of abuse suffer a "death of the soul" after such abuse. In its excellent dramatic and cinematic effects, The Innocents documents events that are too unspeakable to present outright. The emotions and psychological impact of such events are brilliantly portrayed and touch the viewer somewhere deep in the psyche.
Miss Giddens was a perfect example of a woman who was raised in a highly religious and fundamentalist environment, who could never admit that sexual longings and urges exist in herself. Nor could she ever conceptualize how young children could suffer abuse from observing violent and sexual acts committed by adults in their presence. Whether there was any direct abuse to the children is speculative, but anyone who has had any training or education in the field of psychology knows that vicarious trauma can be transmitted to children who witness sexually deviant and violent acts.
Miles exhibits classic sociopathic behaviors at school and we're given clues to this when we're told "the other children are afraid of him" and Miles himself starts to admit that he "hurts things". There is also the scene where Miles hides a dove with a broken neck under his pillow and Miss Giddens assumes was killed by Quint's ghost, but in actuality, Miles is committing a classic behavior that many children of sexual abuse do at a young age, which is to kill or maim animals.
Individuals who have been sexually abused are often described as "seductive", which is more about lack of clarity around boundaries and intimacy. A child's ability to develop strong boundaries around their sexuality can be destroyed from sexual abuse and physical violence. We can see that Miss Giddens is drawn into the seductive nature of both children, but especially Miles. As her own sexual repression and desires are projected onto Miles, as she is pulled into a desire that causes her lose all her senses about the fact he is a "child", and not the sexually deviant, yet desirous "Quint". Her desire is so strong that she allows herself to be drawn into an inappropriate kiss from Miles, further demonstrating that the child's sexual boundaries are lost, and so too are hers.
In the end, Miss Giddens forces Miles to confront a "memory", which is aptly stated by Mrs. Gros when she attempts to point out to Miss Giddens that the little girl is overwrought, not from witnessing the presence of a ghost, but from a "bad memory". Mrs. Gros knows that these children witnessed unspeakable horrors and seems to be often taken aback when discussing these issues with Miss Giddens. Miss Giddens immediately considers these events as evil abominations of ghostly presence rather Mrs. Gros' apparent sense of real incidents that are too taboo to discuss out loud.
The fact that Miles dies from the knowledge that he forced to confront is more of a "psychological death", as many children of abuse suffer a "death of the soul" after such abuse. In its excellent dramatic and cinematic effects, The Innocents documents events that are too unspeakable to present outright. The emotions and psychological impact of such events are brilliantly portrayed and touch the viewer somewhere deep in the psyche.