The Dig | 2020 | PG-13 | – 5.3.2

Why is “The Dig” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “brief sensuality and partial nudity.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a brief sex scene with partial nudity, some kissing scenes, a plane crash with a dead pilot shown (without gore), a dirt wall collapses burying a man and he nearly dies, discussions of war and the potential death of pilots, illness, and some mild language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Based on a true story and set in 1939, on the eve of WWII: A wealthy widow (Carey Mulligan) in rural England suspects that mysterious formations on her land hide Viking or Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds. Despite resistance from established museum curators, she hires a self-taught excavator (Ralph Fiennes), whose lack of upper-crust manners and formal credentials conceal his talents. Also with Stephen Worrall, Danny Webb, Archie Barnes, Robert Wilfort, James Dryden, Joe Hurst, Paul Ready, Peter McDonald, Christopher Godwin, Ellie Piercy and Bronwyn James. Directed by Simon Stone. [Running Time: 1:52]

The Dig SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A man and woman kiss passionately, the man is shirtless, and we see his bare back as he thrusts on top of the woman and she moans. A husband and his wife kiss while sitting on a bed (no sex is implied). A husband and his wife kiss. A man and a woman kiss tenderly. A man moves to kiss a married woman and she pulls away and leaves. A wife opens her robe toward her husband and he seems to become upset and leaves the room. A man and woman kiss in a tunnel and the man tells her, “Who knows if we’ll be alive in a year.” A man and a woman kiss on a street. A man and a woman kiss on the cheeks.
► A man smiles at another man and the second man follows the first out of a pub (attraction and a liaison are implied). Two men work closely together, joking, laughing and flirting in a few scenes. A wife tells her husband that they should part and that they have different paths; she has seen him with another man and suspects that he prefers men. A woman talks about a man proposing to her for 13 years before she accepted.
► A woman sits in a tub filled with water and we see her bare shoulders, cleavage and knees. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A shirtless man is shown at a dig site (his bare chest, back and abdomen are shown). A woman undresses for bed, removing layers of clothing (no nudity is shown). A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals her bare back, partial abdomen and cleavage.

The Dig VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A plane crashes into a body of water and a man dives in to find the pilot; we see the pilot dead in the cockpit and the other man pulls the body to the surface and puts him in a boat. A man digs in a passage walled by dirt into an earthen mound and the walls collapse on top of him, burying him in dirt; people in the area dig with their hands to get him out and when he is uncovered a woman digs dirt out of his mouth, performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and he revives. A woman breaks through a weak spot at a dig site and a man yells (she is unharmed).
► An air raid sounds and people scramble to shelter. A man runs through heavy rain to put tarps up at a dig site. A man digs a hole in a mound. A man digs in a mound of dirt. A man nearly slips into a muddy puddle and another man grabs his arm. A boy runs out of a house and bumps into a man, falling to the ground.
► A man talks about earthen mounds likely being burial grounds. A man talks about robbers stealing from burial sites. A woman asks a man if he saw something when he was gone (he nearly died in an excavation accident). Air Force planes fly overhead and people talk about pilots dying in war. Someone says, “I bet he blew a gasket.” A comment is made about dying and that “…we die and we decay.” People talk about an impending war and that a dig must be rushed or they will not be able to undertake the project until after the war is over, and the site might be lost. A reference is made to a woman having heartburn and “…so much acid.” A woman talks about her father having epilepsy and that he died.
► A woman has a non-lethal heart attack. A woman holds her chest, moans, and appears to be getting sicker as the movie progresses, eventually needing a wheelchair. A woman visits her husband’s grave. We hear that a man died. We hear that a woman had pneumatic fever and it apparently has caused cardiac issues.
► A man spits on the ground (we see saliva). A young boy wearing a gas mask charges into a room and interrupts adults.

The Dig LANGUAGE 2

 – 5 mild obscenities, name-calling (difficult, unorthodox, untrained, irksome, worrier, evil like Hitler, natter, little squirt, old boy, clumsy, snobbery, bore), exclamations (blast, jolly good, excuse me, I beg your pardon, don’t push it old boy, awful shame, wow), 10 religious exclamations (e.g. For Christ’s Sake, Christ, May God Bless You All, Where In God’s Name, Ye Gods, Good Lord, Oh My God, Oh Good God, Thank God). | profanity glossary |

The Dig SUBSTANCE USE

 – People drink in a pub, men drink in a pub, people drink at a party, and a man and a woman drink wine with a meal. A man smokes a pipe in several scenes, a woman smokes a cigarette in a house, and several men smoke cigarettes in a few scenes.

The Dig DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – War, archaeology, greed, excavating, ownership of archaeological finds, the education for women.

The Dig MESSAGE

 – The past speaks but life is fleeting.