A Loss of Innocence


A Loss of Innocence is a 1996 American romantic drama television film that first aired on September 29, 1996, on the ABC television network. It is based on the novel On This Star by Virginia Sorensen.

Plot

Erik Eriksen, a successful New York pianist, returns to Templeton, his birthplace and a Mormon community, where he is treated distrustfully by its members, including his family, for having "betrayed" them by not living his life according to their faith. Only his mother and his younger half-brother Jens, support him unconditionally. However, trouble arises when Erik falls in love with Chelnica "Chel", a beautiful young woman who plays the piano and is a dedicated Mormon, who also happens to be Jens's fiancée.

Cast

The film was shot mostly in the Heber Valley, Utah.

Reception

Writing for Deseret News, Scott D. Pierce reviewed the film, criticizing its plot as predictable, saying that "the movie telegraphs its every move well in advance." Pierce also criticized Garth's acting, saying, "Why either brother is interested is somewhat of a mystery. As portrayed by Garth, Chel comes off as sort of a simple-minded fool." Conversely, he praised the film's look, saying "Loss looks great - and not just the Utah scenery," saying that the period costumes "add an air of authenticity to a movie that, unfortunately, is sometimes as foolish as it is predictable." Pierce summed up the film with the rhetorical question, "What if Danielle Steel had set one of her romance novels in 1920s Utah and used the LDS Church as a backdrop?", ultimately concluding that "Loss is, in the end, a predictable romance novel brought to TV. It's difficult to take it any more seriously than that."