 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Connected
- Review Date: September 16, 2011
- PG
- Genre: Documentary
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Docu connects love, death, and technology.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this documentary explores the different ways that people connect around the world -- and the impact that these connections have on a global scale. It taps into issues like waste, the environment, war, and illness. The death of a parent and a difficult pregnancy are also major themes. Archival footage and Web images include references to political leaders, pop culture icons, and other recognizable people, as well as brief images of things like guns, cannons, and animated nudity. While the content overall isn't too iffy, chances are the subject matter and content won't be of interest to younger kids. References are made to being transgendered.
What's the story?
Autobiographical documentary CONNECTED delves into what it means to be connected in the 21st century. Writer/director Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby Awards, looks at how humans and technology continually change the way we connect on a global scale while also sharing the journey of her father's (Dr. Leonard Shlain) battle with brain cancer. Shlain looks at the links between human behavior, technology, and social issues to better understand how we tap into the connected culture to both create and destroy the best and worst parts of our world.
Is it any good?
Narrated by Shlain and actor Peter Coyote, the film offers a historical exploration of connectivity while showcasing a collage of home movies, animation, archival video footage, and Web imagery to underscore the different ways that humans connect. It also highlights the intentional and unexpected consequences of these connections on the world. Many of these arguments are extensions of ideas introduced in the late Dr. Shlain's controversial books.
Shlain's effort to pay tribute to her late father while simultaneously showing us how we should think about the non-linear nature of connectivity is interesting, but there are times when it's hard to figure out some of the individual points she's trying to make thanks to the film's fractured presentation of visual images and personal life events. Others may not agree with the cause-and-effect relationships between events established here. But the movie's overall message is very clear: We need to take responsibility for what we do in the world, because everything we do will eventually impact someone (or something) else.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what the movie has to say about technology. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Both? How does it impact personal relationships?
How do you think technology will continue to increase (or decrease) the impact that small life decisions have on a larger community?
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
| Studio: | Paladin |
| Director: | Tiffany Shlain |
| Cast: | Leonard Shlain, Peter Coyote, Tiffany Shlain |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Run time: | 80 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 16, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | thematic material including images of nudity, drug use, war and smoking |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
