Pain and Glory | 2019 | R | – 6.4.5

Why is “Pain and Glory” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “drug use, some graphic nudity and language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes full male nudity and some cleavage revealing outfits, a few kissing scenes between men and a man and a woman, and conversations about sexual awakening; a quick stabbing in a street leaving a bloody wound, arguments with threats and yelling, and several scenes of medical procedures and discussions of illness and pain; several scenes of men using heroin and talking about “chasing the dragon”; and about 6 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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An aging director (Antonio Banderas) struggles with increasingly complicated health issues, a late-life addiction to heroin, and unresolved issues from his past regarding lovers, past collaborators, artistic decisions and his mother. Also with Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, César Vicente, Asier Flores and Penélope Cruz. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. In Spanish with English subtitles. [Running Time: 1:53]

Pain and Glory SEX/NUDITY 6

 – A young man takes off his shirt and pants and bathes in a basin (we see his bare back, chest, abdomen, buttocks and genitals); a young boy wakes up with a fever, sees the young man fully nude and collapses on the floor and there’s an insinuation that the boy may have been excited (we see the boy recovering later). X-rays and images are shown of a male body with internal organs shown, and one image shows genitals. A man is shown floating under water in a swimming pool wearing swim trunks that reveal his bare chest, abdomen and legs. A woman wears low-cut tops and dresses that reveal cleavage in several scenes. A statue of a woman shows bare breasts. Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage in a few scenes. A man wears a T-shirt with boxer shorts that reveal his bare legs to the upper-thighs.
► Two men kiss deeply and one man (he is married to a woman) asks if he can stay the night (he leaves when the other man declines the offer). A man kisses another man on the lips. A husband and his wife kiss tenderly. A man reads about two characters making love.
► A man talks about his first sexual partner having become addicted to heroin and that they eventually separated; he says that he struggled with heroin withdrawal and that not even the strength of their love could help him. A man comments about “The first desire.” Several women talk about wishing that they were men so that they could swim naked. A man talks about another man “dressing like a woman.” A woman talks about separating from her husband.

Pain and Glory VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – Two men argue in a street and one slashes the other with a machete (we see blood on his leg and pants as he screams in pain).
► A man seems to have an attack and coughs violently; he says, “I choke on everything” (he recovers). A man is shown floating under water in a swimming pool and we see a recent surgical scar on his back; we hear that he suffers from back pain.
► A man slaps a telephone out of another man’s hand and grabs him by the lapels yelling at him for humiliating him in a telephone interview. A man threatens another man. A woman tells her adult son that he was not good and that he hurt her. A husband and his wife argue about where they are going to live. A wife complains about her husband’s mother being mean to her and their young son. A young boy runs out of his house angry with his mother and yells at her saying, “I don’t want to be a priest,” after she tells him that he will go to seminary school. A man talks about his ex-lover having struggled with heroin withdrawal and that not even the strength of their love could help him. A man talks about pain and illness. A man talks about taking classes but not studying so that he could be in the choir and the priests would pass him because he had a nice voice. A man says, “I wanted to kill him.” Two men argue and one tells the other, “I’m gonna kill you.” A man complains of having a migraine. A man falls asleep after using heroin in a few scenes. A woman tells her adult son about how she wants him to shroud her for burial and we understand that she died. A woman talks about being a widow. A woman talks about dreaming of seeing another woman. A doctor talks to a man about a recommended surgical procedure to remove calcification on his spine that is interfering with his ability to swallow. A man talks about watching movies in a movie theater as a child and that it smelled of urine; he also talks of urinating on the wall of the theater.
► A young boy picks a book out of a garbage can. A woman and her young son sleep in a train station while fireworks explode outside (it’s a celebration). X-rays and images are shown of a male body with internal organs shown. Images of a human head and brain are shown. A man is placed into an MRI machine and we see images of his spine and esophagus later.

Pain and Glory LANGUAGE 5

 – About 6 F-words, 4 scatological terms (2 mild), 1 anatomical term, 5 mild obscenities, 3 derogatory term for homosexuals, name-calling (bastard, pagan, gypsies, old lady friend, poor guy, sad, hicks, minefield, backwardness, illiterate, strange, tediousness, hunchback), exclamations (come on), 9 religious exclamations (e.g. Oh My God, My God, For Christ’s Sake, I Believe In God, You Are One Of The Chosen Ones). | profanity glossary |

Pain and Glory SUBSTANCE USE

 – Two men use heroin (they inhale the smoke from a powder heated on foil) in several scenes, a man rolls a cigarette (it could be marijuana or tobacco) in heroin and smokes a few puffs in a few scenes, a man gives another man some heroin and tells him to be careful using it, a man snorts what is probably cocaine, several references are made to “chasing the dragon,” a man smashes up prescription medications (including oxycodone) and pours the powder in a glass of water before drinking it, a man meets a drug dealer to get heroin, and a man talks about cutting back on heroin so that he can work. A woman drinks a glass of wine, a woman asks if her husband is in a bar, and two men drink shots of Tequila.

Pain and Glory DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Illness, pain, depression, tinnitus, atheism, theism, gossip, heroin addiction, revenge, auto fiction, literacy, having purpose, homosexuality, bisexuality, obsession, film industry, aging actors and directors.

Pain and Glory MESSAGE

 – Life choices are complicated and can never really be resolved.