360

Movie review by
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
360 Movie Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+
(i)
Globe-trotting drama explores sex, grief, betrayal.
  • R
  • 2012
  • 110 minutes
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Official trailer
360

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

360 posits that we're all connected in some way to each other and that our relationships and choices can have far-reaching effects.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Michael doesn't have an affair that he had planned on and later reconciles with his wife. The older man shows a generous spirit as he looks after his airplane seatmate, shares his story, and tries to keep her safe. A recently released criminal Tyler overcomes his urges and does the right thing.

Violence

A climactic double murder takes place off camera, but audiences see the aftermath: dead men lying in their own blood. A released sex offender rejects a woman's overt sexual advances and then hides in a bathroom -- making it clear that he's capable of violence but is trying to keep her safe.

Sex

Sexuality is a major theme of the film. The movie opens with a young woman "auditioning" to be an escort. She poses topless, and then it's implied that she must have sex with the boss to prove she's ready to be marketed. A few scenes show a woman topless or a couple having sex. One character is a call girl and is shown having sex with her client (during the act, she tells him it will cost more to continue). It's pretty graphic and shows a few different positions with the man being particularly forceful. Bare buttocks and passionate kissing and fondling are shown in another scene. One character is a sex offender, so when a woman comes on to him half naked, he pushes her away and flees -- not wanting to do anything to her. A married couple kisses and embraces. Two men discuss the services of a prostitute.

Language

Half a dozen "f--k"s, plus "s--t," "a--hole," and milder insults ("dirty bugger," "stupid," etc.).

Consumerism

The only discernible product placement is a chauffeured Mercedes.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A lot of cigarette smoking, and, in a couple of scenes, marijuana smoke as well. Adults drink at restaurants and bars. A woman is shown hung over, and one scene follows a group of people attending an AA meeting.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that 360, which is loosely based on the 1900 play La Ronde, follows different pairs of characters, usually before, during, or after a sexual encounter. With sexuality the unifying theme in the international drama, the movie definitely isn't meant for anyone but adults and the most mature older teens. The sexual content includes nudity, fairly graphic displays of prostitution, adultery, and even the emotional turmoil of a sexual offender trying to control his urges. Language is strong -- "f--k," "a--hole," "s--t" and more -- and violence includes aggressive sex and a bloody double murder.

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What's the story?

Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles adapts the themes from playwright Arthur Schnitzler's fin de siecle play La Ronde, in which 10 pairs of characters meet before and after sexual encounters. Like a Viennese waltz, the story shifts from pairing to pairing but always connects with a previously met duo. The story begins and ends with Mirka (Lucia Siposova), a beautiful Eastern European woman auditioning to become a high-end call girl in Vienna. Her first client, English businessman Michael (Jude Law), chickens out before they can meet -- while, unbeknownst to him, his wife, Rose (Rachel Weisz), is having an affair back in London with Brazilian photographer Rui (Juliano Cazarre). Other pairings include Rui's jilted ex, Laura (Maria Flor), who connects with an older man (Anthony Hopkins) on a plane trip and comes on to a mysterious guy (Ben Foster) who's actually a reformed sex offender trying to change his life. The action moves from the Old World to the New and back again before following Mirka's exploits one final time.

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Is it any good?

Meirelles is a specialist in stylized, well-acted dramas like The Constant Gardener and City of God, and 360 continues in that vein but isn't quite as compelling a story as his previous work. It's not all the globe-trotting that makes the story feel disconnected -- the director has a gift for showing the intimacy of moments that take place in crowded cities or airports --  but the fact that some storylines are riveting and tender while others are confusing and left dangling.

It's also disturbing that sexuality is explored more for its power to alienate and injure than to unite and empower. Although Rose and Michael reconnect, nearly everyone else has a tragic ending. The saddest subplot, by far, is the Paris vignette: A widowed Algerian dentist falls for his Russian hygienist, a lonely woman completely unappreciated by her husband, who's low-level henchman of sorts. After his imam implores him to do the right thing, the dentist unexpectedly fires her, despite their obvious chemistry and camaraderie. This is an ensemble worth watching, but it's not a fully satisfying film.

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Talk to your kids about ...

  • Families can talk about what they think the filmmaker is trying to say about the global reach of our actions. Is sexuality the driving medium of communication between people? How can parents and teens communicate better about sex and relationships?

  • Which vignette impacted you the most? Why do some stories seem to connect more than others? Did the fact that 360 took place in various cities around the world make it more difficult to understand?

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Movie details

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