Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison | 2020 | NR | – 5.3.10

Why is “Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison” rated NR? The MPAA has not rated this film. The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a nude man in a prison shower scene and a few references to prison sex, and cleavage revealing outfits, a police raid where many people are handcuffed and questioned after being tasered and threatened with guns, a man is slammed to the floor by prison guards and handcuffed, many arguments and discussions about restored citizens finding work, and nearly 70 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A college project to film a short documentary about a man (Romany Malco) being released from prison follows him through his return to his home and attempts to find work and start his own motivational speaking business, with disappointing results. Also with Regina Hall, Alkoya Brunson, Tami Roman, Tyler Cassidy, Baadja-Lyne Odums and Shannon Dang. Directed by Malco. [Running Time: 1:33]

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison SEX/NUDITY 5

 – Several nude men are shown in a prison shower scene and one man is shown fully nude from the front and heavily slathered with soap (genital details are obscured but discernible), and other men are seen partially nude with bare chests and abdomens visible. A woman wears a crop top and short-shorts that reveal cleavage, bare abdomen and partial buttocks. A few women are shown wearing swimwear that reveals cleavage, bare abdomen and legs. A man is shown shirtless and we see his bare chest, abdomen and back. A man wearing short-shorts rides a bicycle through a scene and we see his bare back, chest and abdomen.
► There are a few references to sex in prison. A man asks a younger woman if she, “…has sex with Black guys.” A man yells, “He’s got his cock out” as a man rides by on a bicycle and we see that the man has a rooster on the handlebars. A man talks about his uncle molesting him when he was a child.

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A group of people gather outside a building and many armed officers swarm into the area causing them to scatter; a few people are tasered, one officer holds a gun to a man’s head and we see them all handcuffed and seated on the ground as one officer berates them for having outstanding warrants. Prison guards slam an inmate to the floor and try to handcuff him while kneeling on his back and holding him down (we see him holding a bag of ice to his head later and a comment is made about a guard kicking him). A man runs behind another man and tackles him to the ground (we do not see injuries).
► A man becomes angry and throws his phone on the ground (we see the shattered screen) and a briefcase into a field when he finds his car is missing and he cannot find his nephew; we hear the boy is at the police station for trying to sneak into an amusement park. A man in a car speeds away from a woman in another car (his parole officer). A man climbs out of a house window and clambers through a garage filled with items and he finds a machete and holds it while speaking to a preteen boy; they argue briefly. A man and woman argue and she throws him out of her car. A man talks about getting his BB gun and two women yell at him because he was just released from prison. An inmate tries to stand on a cafeteria table and is yelled at by a corrections officer. A woman threatens her preteen son and says that she will break his ankles. A woman yells at her adult children for arguing. A preteen boy talks about his school being closed because the sewer backed up and flooded the first floor; he makes a remark that people were getting sick and someone died. A man and a woman argue in several scenes and she threatens to send him back to prison. A man yells at another man and chases him after he gave him money. A woman yells at a man and chases him in his car asking if he has a permit. A man slips an envelope through another man’s window and we see there is a cellphone in it. A woman talks about another woman having lost a leg after having been shot. A preteen boy introduces a preteen girl as “white” and a man argues with him and the girl about whether she is white. A woman says of her brother, “I can’t stand him.” A man is shown handcuffed and seated on a curb as a police cruiser arrives with lights flashing; we hear that a man was arrested for violating his parole and served 13 months. A man talks about his uncle molesting him when he was a child.
► We see alligators in a body of water and a preteen boy is afraid to walk over a stretch of shallow water to get to land so a man carries him across. A man’s car dies and we see him and two other people pushing the car off the road and he leaves to get gas. A man uses a machete to cut through thick, tall grass in the front yard of a house. A man is shown sleeping in a car and a preteen boy climbs in the back of the car with a blanket and pillow. A man stands at a bus stop waiting to be picked up after having been released from prison and no one ever comes.
► A bedpan is shown full of liquid sloshing in it as a man carries it out of a room. A woman sits in a room with blankets covering her legs and she appears to be using a toilet (it looks like a prison-type toilet) when a man comes into the room and she tells him to leave.

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison LANGUAGE 10

 – About 69 F-words and its derivatives, 13 sexual references, 62 scatological terms, 22 anatomical terms, 18 mild obscenities, 76 derogatory terms for African-American people, name-calling (chicken head, skank, dramatic, felon, convict, jits, savage, ridiculous, spunky, wild child, slave, shark, sling blade, trash, dumb, demon, dumbest, homies, dope head, fool, stupid, failure, snitch), exclamations (hey, yo, shut-up, watch your tone with me), 9 religious profanities (GD), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. Oh My God, Jesus Is Alive, Jesus). | profanity glossary |

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison SUBSTANCE USE

 – Two men are questioned in a police station and one says that they did a “tiny bit of meth on the weekend,” and a police officer threatens two men with having to take a drug test. A man smokes cigarettes in most scenes throughout the movie, including in cars, in a motel room and outside and in a house, and woman smokes in a few scenes.

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Divorce, planning for a future, privilege, goals, college debt, optimism, hope, child abuse, selfish vs. selfless, change, negativity, grudges, single parenting, respect, motivational speaking, integrity, success.

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison MESSAGE

 – Dreams don’t always pan out the way we hope, especially for restored citizens. Being selfless is a more beneficial path to reaching your goals.