Why is “Brave the Dark” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “domestic violence/bloody images, suicide, some strong language, teen drinking, drug material and smoking.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several teen kissing and flirting scenes, some non-sexual nudity, a woman dying from gunshots and a man committing suicide by gunshot, many discussions of domestic violence, several scenes of teens pushing each other, a robbery ending with a teen being arrested, a woman dying after a stroke, discussions of homelessness, many arguments and some strong language, including 1 not fully audible F-word. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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After it is discovered that a teen boy (Nicholas Hamilton) is living in his car when not in school, his teacher (Jared Harris) takes it upon himself to help him out of his situation and provide him with hope in the future. Also with Sasha Bhasin, Will Price, Martin Jarvis and Jamie Harris. Directed by Damian Harris. [Running Time: 1:52]

Brave the Dark SEX/NUDITY 3

 – A teen boy and a teen girl dance and kiss passionately while another teen boy watches and becomes sad. A teen boy kisses a teen girl on the neck and she pulls away saying that her father won’t allow her to see him any longer (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A teen girl kisses a teen boy before a track meet.
► A teen boy and a teen girl flirt in a classroom and the teen boy leans toward her to kiss her when another teen boy tells them to “Get a room.” A teen boy kisses a teen girl on the cheek. A man and a woman dance together and the woman rests her head on the man’s shoulder.
► A character in a play tells another character to “Stay away from girls, or I’ll put you in a cage.” A teen boy is told that the teen girl he has feelings for is “off limits.”
► A teen boy is told to undress while being processed in a police station (we see his bare chest and abdomen to the hips). A teen boy takes off his clothes while on a bridge (we see him wearing boxer shorts and his bare chest, abdomen, back and legs are seen). A teen boy showers and we see his bare chest and abdomen to the hips. A teen boy is shown shirtless in a locker room (we see his bare chest, abdomen and back). A shirtless teen boy lies in bed (we see his bare chest and abdomen). A young boy is bathed by a woman and we see his bare shoulders and chest (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A teen girl wears low-cut tops that reveal cleavage in several scenes.

Brave the Dark VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – A man grabs a woman by the hair and slams her against a car; he tells her to look in the back seat and she runs back into the house as the man pulls a shotgun from the car and shoots through the window; we see the woman bleeding and lying on the floor and the man shoots her again at close range while a young boy watches from behind furniture. A man shoots himself in the head as a young boy watches and he is splattered with blood. A teen boy stands on a bridge over rushing water below and jumps as a man calls out to him not to jump; we see the teen floating unconscious underwater and the man pulls him out and onto the riverbank. A teen boy is shown in an emergency room as medical personnel perform CPR and we hear the monitors flat line; a man yells in disbelief and we hear a heartbeat begin again.
► A woman is shown with dark bruises on her arms from where a man grabbed her and she holds a young boy as a car screeches to a stop on a bridge nearby. A young boy and his mother run to the police station where the woman is turned away after reporting domestic violence; she pleads with her parents and they speed away in a car leaving her alone with the child. A man burns himself on the arm with a lit cigarette.
► Several teen boys break into a store, steal electronics devices and speed away. A teen boy is arrested while in school and officers hold him and handcuff him as he is led out and many other students watch. A teen boy is shown in a jail cell in a few scenes. A teen boy’s grandparents bail him out of jail and put him to work on their farm to pay off the debt.
► A teen boy tries to talk to a teen girl and pushes another teen boy out of the way, they struggle and one boy is pushed hard into a door. A teen boy becomes upset and punches a classroom door breaking the glass (we see blood on his hand) after his girlfriend tells him that her father won’t allow her to see him any longer; the teen runs out of the school and a man chases him trying to get him to return. A teen boy chases a teen girl and grabs her by the arm when she tells him to leave her alone; her father sees the incident and tells him to stay away from her. A teen boy grabs another teen boy and pushes him when he finds him talking to his girlfriend. Several scenes show flashbacks to a frightened young boy running in the dark. A teen boy shoots a rifle at a picture frame and breaks the glass. A teen boy is upset when he sees a number of Christmas gifts under a tree that a man bought for him.
► A man tells a young boy, “If I can’t have her, no one else can,” about the boy’s mother. We hear that a woman died in a car accident when a boy was 6 years old. A teen boy is told that his crime requires a 2-year minimum sentence (it is reduced by the judge), and the judge tells him he will spend 72 hours in jail to get a sense of what it is like. A man tells a teen boy that he missed his appointment with his parole officer and that if he breaks the rules again, the P.O. will take him back to the judge. A teen boy says that he didn’t speak for years while in an orphanage. A newspaper headline reads “Horrific Incident,” describing a woman’s death. Several people argue about a teen boy after he is arrested for burglary. People argue about a teen boy dropping out of school. A woman talks about a teen girl that she tried to help and that the situation ended badly. A teen boy refers to caretakers in an orphanage as “The Keepers.” A teen boy says that in an orphanage Christmas gift exchanges consisted of underwear.
► A teen boy is shown parked in a cornfield doing homework by lantern light and sleeping. We hear that a woman had a stroke and that her son cared for her until she died (we see her room with her wheelchair in it in a couple of scenes).
► A young boy is bathed by a woman and we see the child is splattered with blood on his face and chest. A keg of beer explodes and sprays beer into the air. A teen boy says that he can’t stop urinating (in crude terms) at the hospital after his system was flushed from drugs.

Brave the Dark LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 1 not fully audible F-word, 10 scatological terms, 1 anatomical term, 2 mild obscenities, name-calling (jerk off, weird, bastards, college boy, failed actor, bad boy, piece of trash, poor kid, insane, crazy, dump, cursed, Mr. Miami Vice, too stupid, stupid, ungrateful, liar, loser, weirdest person ever, ridiculous, born behind the 8-ball), exclamations (oh my gosh, wow, frickin, screw you, I messed up, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, what the heck, I don’t care, jeez, have mercy, I can’t believe it, everyone wants something, gosh darn it, what is wrong with you), 8 religious exclamations (e.g. so help me God, my God, my Lord, God, oh God, Holy [scatological term deleted]). | profanity glossary |

Brave the Dark SUBSTANCE USE

 – Teenagers take drugs as well as drink beer and smoke cigarettes at a house party, and a teen boy offers a teen girl a drug and she declines. A teen boy smokes a cigarette in several scenes, and two teen boys smoke a cigarette.

Brave the Dark DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Domestic violence, mental illness, suicide, the system, loneliness, optimism, pain, grief, guilt, trauma, bad luck, domestic violence, orphanages, foster care, secrets, trust, disappointment, betrayal.

Brave the Dark MESSAGE

 – Everyone deserves the opportunity to find the good in them.