The Education of Shelby Knox (NR, 2006)
common sense media says
Teen sex docu preps families for a healthy debate.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this documentary looks critically at abstinence-only education and its religious underpinnings. It talks openly about teen sex, abstinence-only education, and contraception use, and is likely to upset most viewers at some point. Depending on the political bent of the viewers, they'll be offended either by the push for comprehensive sex education in the school or the push for abstinence-only education. Shelby hangs out with gay teens.
Violence:
One teen talks about boys trying to hit him with a baseball bat.
Sex:
Talk about abstinence and abstinence pledges, and sex with and without a condom. One sex educator shows how to put a condom on a dildo. Girls are ascribed a point value for how much sexual experience they have and then boys try to go out with the girls with the least experience and "screw" them. Some kissing and hugging, but nothing explicit. Gay teens are shown, sometimes with arms around their shoulder, but no kissing and nothing explicit. A school official is discovered to be having an affair at the office. There's talk about teens who are gay having a life-expectancy of 40 years and being sinners, and talk of teens who have sex being "like dogs on a streetcorner."
Language:
Ocassional swearing, including "f--k" and "hell."
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
One girl talks about having liquor bottles as "best friends" but no one drinks on-screen.
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