Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be clear: this is not a family movie. It's not even a teen movie unless your teen is mature and ready for unflinching social realism.

But for adults and older high schoolers who can handle emotional devastation? This is one of the most important American films of the past decade. Sean Baker captures childhood poverty with such empathy and artistry that you'll never look at a roadside motel the same way.

The genius is in the contrast—six-year-old Moonee experiences wonder and adventure while her world crumbles around her. The film never exploits or sentimentalizes; it simply shows. And that ending will wreck you.

Critics loved it (96% RT, 92 Metacritic) because it's brave, beautiful filmmaking. Common Sense Media rates it 15+ and calls it "breathtakingly realistic, unforgettable." They're right. This is cinema that matters, that builds empathy, that forces you to see people society ignores.

Just don't put it on for family movie night. Save it for when your older teen asks for something real, or when you need a reminder of what great filmmaking can do.

Age Fit

This is strictly for mature teens (15+) and adults. The R rating is earned—constant profanity, sexual content references, and themes of parental neglect and child welfare crisis make this inappropriate for younger viewers. But for older teens ready for serious cinema and adults, it's essential viewing.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

45

This is a raw, unvarnished portrait of poverty and dysfunction. The six-year-old protagonist lives with an irresponsible mother who engages in prostitution, and while the film treats the child's perspective with tenderness, the environment is chaotic and emotionally unhealthy. There's little modeling of kindness or cooperation from adults—mostly survival mode. The motel manager is a bright spot, but the overall tone is gritty realism, not wholesome.

Imaginative

82

Shot largely from a child's eye level, the film captures the magical-realism quality of childhood imagination against a bleak backdrop. The kids turn a rundown motel into an adventure playground, finding wonder in abandoned buildings and ice cream shops. Director Sean Baker's visual storytelling is inventive and empathetic, inviting viewers to see the world through fresh eyes. It's deeply original filmmaking.

Safe

25

R-rated for language throughout, disturbing behavior, sexual references, and brief drug material. Contains explicit profanity (including from children), depictions of prostitution, child welfare crisis, and an emotionally devastating ending. Common Sense Media rates it 15+. This is not something a young child should stumble upon—it's intense, upsetting, and deals with adult themes like sex work and parental unfitness.

Enriching

88

Breathtakingly realistic and unforgettable (per Common Sense Media). With 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 92 on Metacritic, this is masterclass cinema that builds profound empathy for people living on society's margins. It challenges viewers to reconsider childhood resilience, poverty, and the American Dream. For mature teens and adults, it's an essential, perspective-shifting experience that lingers long after the credits.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

One of the most critically acclaimed films of 2017 (96% RT, 92 Metacritic)—this is masterclass independent cinema
Builds profound empathy for families living on the economic edge, showing childhood resilience without sugar-coating the chaos
Shot from a child's perspective, capturing how kids find magic and adventure even in the bleakest circumstances
Willem Dafoe gives a career-best performance as the weary but caring motel manager trying to protect the kids
Unflinching social commentary that will change how you see poverty, parenting, and the invisible families living in roadside motels

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What to Watch For

R-rated for constant profanity (including from young children), references to prostitution, and emotionally devastating child welfare themes
The ending is a gut-punch that will leave you wrecked—this is not feel-good entertainment
While the child's perspective is innocent, the adult world around her is chaotic, dysfunctional, and sometimes disturbing
This is art-house realism, not mainstream drama—slow pacing and no neat resolution

Conversation Starters

"How do you think Moonee stays so joyful despite everything happening around her?"
"What do you think about Bobby the motel manager—what would you have done in his position?"
"The movie shows how differently kids and adults see the same situation. When have you experienced that?"
"What does this movie say about the American Dream and who gets left behind?"
"That ending—let's talk about what you think happened and how it made you feel"

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