• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  4.0

• Common Sense says

  Landmark French drama of restless, troubled boyhood.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13 and Up

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  Though strong-willed and independent, Antoine is neither a "good" nor a "bad" boy, and definitely does things that are not to be imitated, like stealing and running away from home. While he seldom intentionally hurts people, he seems to be missing a sense of right and wrong in pursuit of his own goals -- when Antoine copies a paper in his homework to get a much-desired good grade, he does it so flagrantly that you wonder if he even has any awareness that he's cheating. Mothers, fathers, teachers, and authority figures are generally shown as impatient, distracted, and ill-equipped for guidance. Only other boys in the peer-group seem to exhibit loyalty and true friendship with each other.
• Violence:

  Antoine is slapped once.

• Sex:

  A husband playfully grabs his wife's (fully clothed) breasts. The boy hero is asked by a psychologist if he's had sex (he replies frankly no, but some friends of his have). Mention of out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

• Language:

  "S--t" and "a--hole" appear in some subtitled translations.

• Consumerism:

  References made to mid-century French films, books, and diversions, likely to be lost on modern audiences.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

   

  Much smoking in young Antoine's family, and the boy himself surreptitiously rolls his own handmade cigarettes. Underage drinking.

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