Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that All the Wilderness is a coming-of-age drama about a troubled teen trying to cope after the death of his father. Teen characters drink pretty frequently (sometimes to the point of getting drunk); they also smoke cigarettes and pot. All of this is without much in the way of consequences. A teen girl talks about a time when she took an overdose of pills and had her stomach pumped. There's also frequent talk of death, dying, and suicide. The main character is bullied and punched in the face; he sports a black eye throughout the movie, then gets into another fight later and is punched in the other eye. Language is infrequent but contains a few uses of "f--k," "s--t," and "bitch." There's a scene of teen kissing. Despite the dark material, the main character eventually learns to trust others and finds help unburdening himself, and ultimately this is a vivid, poetic movie for older teens and adults.
Sexual
Content
Teens kiss on a dance floor. Adults flirt.
Violence
The main character is chased by bullies and punched once in the face. He has a black eye throughout the movie. Another fight, another punch to the face. Small scratch below the eye. Dead animals (crow, hamster, fly, etc.). Discussions of death, dying, and suicide. The main character is briefly chased by imaginary, nightmarish, shadowy figures.
Language
Three uses of "f--k," several uses of "s--t," two uses of "bitch."
Social
Behavior
The movie is about empathy and understanding; the climax comes when the main character finally finds people he can talk to and those people are willing to listen without judgment. But for a long time, he avoids connecting with his mother, or a therapist, or even a friend.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
A secondary teen character is shown to be a regular drinker (whisky), smoker, and pot user; he shares with the main character. Teen characters shoplift a bottle of alcohol and drink it. The main character comes home drunk, and his mother is shown to be a heavy drinker. A teen girl describes how she once took pills and had to have her stomach pumped.
