Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

1,000 Times Good Night

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mature themes in moving story about mother/war photographer.

Movie NR 2014 111 minutes
1,000 Times Good Night Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Director Erik Poppe's semi-autobiographical drama 1,000 TIMES GOOD NIGHT follows acclaimed war photographer Rebecca (Juliette Binoche), who regularly puts herself in life-threatening situations to make sure the horrors of the world are captured and acknowledged. As the movie opens, Rebecca is following a secret cell of female suicide bombers and ends up just a few feet away when a woman detonates herself, injuring Rebecca in the process. After Rebecca's husband, Marcus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), brings her back to their home on the Irish seaside, he begs her to stop putting her life on the line and instead think of their two daughters, who live in fear that she's going to die every time she leaves for a assignment. Faced with her husband's ultimatum, Rebecca decides to retire from active war zones -- but when her older daughter, Steph (Lauryn Canny), asks to go with her on a "safe" job in Kenya, Rebecca finally realizes that being a photographer isn't just a job, it's a calling, even when her life is at risk.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Binoche's beautifully subtle performance as a complicated woman is the foremost reason to see this film. Specifically, the sequences in which Rebecca is on assignment in Afghanistan and in Kenya are the best in the movie; she mesmerizes viewers as she captures others' unthinkable circumstances. The opening and closing moments in particular are gorgeously shot, even as what they're depicting is utterly horrifying. Wordlessly and with just a Canon DSLR as a prop, Binoche explores the depths of what an adrenaline-fueled journalist on a mission must feel when he or she has gotten the chance to record history.

But the movie isn't just about Rebecca's job; it's also about her life back home, where she doesn't quite fit in to the idyllic surroundings. Sure, she has a gorgeous, attentive husband; two lovely daughters (one broodily pubescent, the other still young enough to care only about what presents Mum has brought home from her exotic travels); and the kind of stone country home featured on Ireland tourism sites, but Rebecca isn't made to chaperone field trips or make meals. She tries, for her husband's sake, to be fulfilled with a quieter, domestic life, but as her best friends, Tom (U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.) and Theresa (Maria Doyle Kennedy), know about her, she's got a gift and she needs to use it. Young Canny does a wonderful job as possibly the only character who truly changes and grows over the course of the film, but the family melodrama isn't nearly as captivating as Rebecca's unquenchable need to be out in the field.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in 1,000 Times Good Night. Is it necessary to illustrate how dangerous Rebecca's job is? Do you think Rebecca has a moral responsibility to cover violent events, or should she protect herself for the sake of her family?

  • How are Rebecca's family relationships portrayed? Do you think mothers are criticized more harshly than fathers for being preoccupied with their work? If the story is autobiographical, why do you think the filmmaker chose to make the protagonist a woman?

  • Do you agree with Steph that other kids need her mother more than she does? Are you surprised at the difference between Steph's feelings about her mother's work and Marcus' feelings about his wife?

  • How is the press (photographers, editors, journalists) depicted in the movie? Do you think there's something unethical about Rebecca's assignment with the suicide bombers?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate