Where to watch: ‘The Innocents’ opens this Friday, May 13 at Laemmle Royal and Laemmle’s Playhouse 7.

Screenwriter Eskil Vogt is stepping out from behind his recent Oscar-nominated screenplay (The Worst Person in the World) and into the spotlight as a director for the first time since 2014. Eight years after his directorial debut Blind, Vogt’s reintroduction as a multi-talented filmmaker is a bold one as he channels an atmospheric and darkly surreal coming-of-age story in the Norwegian film, The Innocents.

It’s often said that babies are born good; free from bias, hatred, and general erratic impulses. In a slightly contradictory stance, Vogt himself states, “I think kids are beyond good and evil, or rather, before good and evil. But I don’t think children are little angels, that people are born pure. I think children are born without any sense of empathy or morals, we have to teach them that.”

No matter where you personally lean on the spectrum, it’s still alarming to witness seven-year-old Ida (Rakel Lenora Fløttum) sneakily abuse her older sister Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who suffers from a type of “regressive autism.” Unable to use words to communicate her pain–from forearm pinches to broken glass in tennis shoes–it’s heartbreaking to watch Ida be so mean. But why is she acting out in the first place? One thought is her aggression is misplaced frustration at her family’s decision to move into a new apartment complex, new school district, and forgoing any summer plans due to her father’s hectic work schedule.

With nothing but time on her hands, curious Ida spends her sunny summer afternoons taking Anna outside, only to ditch her and explore the grounds of the apartment complex alone. This is where she meets Ben (Sam Ashraf), a boy a little older than herself. He is mysterious but troubled, as if a dark cloud looms over him constantly.

While Ida and Ben are busy making mischief, another young apartment-dwelling neighbor, Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim), takes up a special friendship with Anna, seemingly able to understand what the non-verbal girl is saying. In fact, when the four of them are together, they are able to conjure up supernatural abilities that start off innocent enough but end up taking a deadly turn. It’s all very suspicious.

It isn’t long before the four children unite and when they do, the film seemingly shifts tone from coming-of-age drama to supernatural thriller. In a haunting display of childhood trauma being expressed by four 7–11 year-olds, The Innocents genre-bends to a disturbing degree. Beware, the animal cruelty alone is enough to make you shudder.

The Innocents isn’t a traditional horror film, but more like the genre’s dark and twisted cousin. Using child actors as protagonists, a minimal score, and haunting imagery, The Innocents is a hard pill to swallow but it will no doubt leave a lasting impression. Vogt–who has been a constant collaborator with filmmaker Joachim Trier–is certainly making a name for himself as a director to watch with this whiplash of a title.

1h 57m. Distributed by IFC Midnight.