Wander Darkly | 2020 | R | – 7.6.6

Why is “Wander Darkly” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language and some sexual content/nudity.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a sex scene with nudity, several kissing scenes, discussions of infidelity and jealousy, cleavage revealing outfits, a car accident with bloody wounds shown several times, attempted suicide with pills and a jump from a roof, a pedestrian struck by a car (imagined), an infant not breathing in a crib (imagined), several arguments, and 15 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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After a traumatic car crash, a woman (Sienna Miller) grapples with her own existence and her relationship with her partner (Diego Luna). At the same time, she needs to remain present for the sake of their infant daughter. Also with Beth Grant, Vanessa Bayer, Brett Rice, Aimee Carrero, Dan Gill, Tory Kittles and James Landry Hébert. Directed by Tara Miele. [Running Time: 1:37]

Wander Darkly SEX/NUDITY 7

 – A man and a woman hold hands and kiss on a bed, we see the woman fully nude (bare breasts, abdomen, legs and hip) as the man performs oral sex on her (we see his bare back and buttocks); they talk about finding a condom and he thrusts on top of her (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details).
► A man and a woman kiss after their wedding ceremony. A man and a woman kiss and the man stops and moves away from her. A man and a woman wearing swimsuits (we see cleavage and bare abdomen on the woman and the man’s bare chest and abdomen) stand in the ocean and kiss and hug a couple of times. A man and a woman hug and kiss tenderly a few times in a few scenes.
► A woman tells a man that she wanted to perform oral sex on him one evening and he says that he wished he knew. A woman tells a man, “You can spend the night in my room if you promise not to molest me.” A man asks a woman, “Did you want to cheat on me?” A man whispers in a woman’s ear and the act seems suggestive. A woman sees a man and a woman hugging and seems jealous (we see this a few times). A woman follows a man and woman into an anteroom during a funeral and seems to be suspicious about the woman’s motives. A man and a woman argue about the woman threatening to poke a hole in her diaphragm because she wants to get pregnant.
► A woman in a hospital bed holds her newborn infant and we see the woman’s bare breasts and nipple as the infant latches on. A woman takes off her dress and puts on a nightgown (we see her bare shoulders). A woman wears a bra and tight-fitting pants as she changes her top (we see cleavage, bare abdomen and back). A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage in several scenes. Women wear low-cut tops and dresses that reveal cleavage in several scenes. A woman wears an exam robe in a medical facility and we see her bare leg to the hip, cleavage and bare abdomen. Several young women wear low-cut tops and dresses. A woman tries on a dress and we see her bare back, cleavage and partial side breast. A toddler is shown wearing only diapers.

Wander Darkly VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – A man and a woman in a car are shown jolting forward as glass shatters and the screen goes black; we see the aftermath of a head-on collision, with the occupants of the car with blood on their faces, the driver slumped on the steering wheel and flames burning around the car.
► A woman takes a handful of pills and a man makes her sit them out (it is attempted suicide). A woman takes several pills and lies on her bed, she tries to get up and collapses on the floor (we see her in a hospital recovering with an IV In her hand). A woman walks into her infant’s room and picks her up out of her crib screaming for help and saying that the child is not breathing (the baby cries and is fine); she tells a man, “He’s coming for her,” and when he asks who is coming she says, “Death.” A woman climbs on a ledge on a roof, a man takes her by the hand, and she steps down safely. While having sex with a woman a man throws a pillow that tips a candle over and starts a fire in the room; the man rushes out of the room leaving the woman inside screaming and he returns with a fire extinguisher to put out the fire and no one is harmed; the woman later tells the man, “You left me there to die.” A woman climbs a security fence on an overpass and is interrupted by a man, they argue and she runs into the street in front of a car and is struck (she seems to be imagining this).
► A woman draws her hand along her abdomen leaving bloody scratches. The driver of a vehicle is shown slumped motionless over the steering wheel after a collision with another vehicle. A woman with bloody facial wounds and wearing a neck brace is wheeled into a hospital, defibrillator paddles are used on her chest and we see her being closed in a morgue drawer. A man with bloody facial wounds and wearing a neck brace is closed in a morgue drawer. A man at a crash scene pounds on a car window to break it as flames burn around the car and shards of glass are shown cutting flesh (we see some blood) as the person is pulled out of the vehicle. A woman with a cut on her forehead wakes up on a sofa and seems confused. A woman imagines another woman’s hand decayed and discolored.
► A woman sees herself covered with mud or sludge and has a panic attack, then imagines herself being pulled underwater and she awakens in a bathroom with water running in the sink. A woman sees many people wearing skeleton masks at a festival and is frightened by a man wearing a dark hoodie; she says, “He’s here.” A man yells and shakes a woman by the shoulders to wake her up (she awakens). A woman yells and pounds on a man she sees on the street, and he holds her arms as another man takes her away.
► A man yells at a woman and leaves. A man talks about when he was younger seeing his father with his hands around his mother’s throat and that she blamed the boy when the man left them. A man and a woman talk about how they remember certain aspects of their lives together and how their memories differ. A woman talks to her newborn infant about her birth, with details about the umbilical being wrapped around her. A teen girl cries and asks why her father left her. A man and a woman argue and she asks why they are even still together. A woman seems upset with a man for not remembering their date night. A man talks about his family and says, “They would have killed me,” if he didn’t get married; another man talks about his mother and makes a remark about her cutting off his genitals if he didn’t get married, and another man says that a woman’s mother curses his eternal soul. A man speaks about a woman at a funeral, becomes upset, and leaves the dais. A woman says, “I’m not really here.” A woman tells another woman that the other driver involved in a car accident was at fault. A woman watches a zombie movie and says, “They’re my people now.” A woman says, “I feel hollowed out, soulless.” A woman identifying herself as a palm reader tells a man that his mother is lingering for him and he says that he did not speak at her funeral. When talking about a suggestive act on the part of another man, a man asks a woman, “You wanted me to punch him?” A character says, “Maybe I would break if I lost you.” A character says, “I made it hard for you to love me,” and, “I should have loved you better.” A woman tries on a dress and says that she wants to wear it for her funeral; she also says that she wants her ashes to be scattered somewhere beautiful. A woman talks about marriage and not wanting a man to own her.
► Ashes are sprinkled over the ocean from a boat. A man uses a machete to cut open a pineapple and peel it. Many dolphins swim alongside a boat in a couple of scenes.

Wander Darkly LANGUAGE 6

 – About 15 F-words (1 not fully enunciated), 1 sexual reference, 5 scatological terms, anatomical terms, 1 mild obscenity, name-calling (broke, miserable, craziness, crazy, impatient, oaf, she-beast, overwhelmed, dramatic, bastard, I was so much, stupid), exclamations (heck, freaking out, oh my gosh, stop, sucks, get out of my way), 9 religious exclamations (e.g. God, Oh God No, Thank God For Seatbelts, Thank [F-word deleted] God, Oh God, Oh My God, God Forgive Me). | profanity glossary |

Wander Darkly SUBSTANCE USE

 – A young woman smokes from a bong, and a woman says that her adult daughter is on so many pills (prescribed). People drink in a few party scenes, a man and a woman drink at a restaurant, and people drink champagne at a museum exhibition. A man smokes a cigarette outside a church at a funeral.

Wander Darkly DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Traumatic events, depression, childbirth, relationships, doubt, control, truth, shame, suicide, car crashes, death of loved ones, freedom, fears, failings, trust, adventure, jealousy, parenting, narrative therapy, memories.

Wander Darkly MESSAGE

 – Love and life are challenging, but worth the effort.