Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Adaptation of necrophilia drama is extremely disturbing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Child of God
What's the Story?
Based on a 1973 novel by Cormac McCarthy, CHILD OF GOD concerns Lester Ballard (Scott Haze), an unhinged, unstable young man -- a "child of God much like yourself perhaps" -- who's thrown out of his childhood home and takes to living in the woods. Armed with his rifle, for which he saved up and bought as a child, he hunts and steals to survive. Soon he desires companionship. He wins some giant stuffed animals at a carnival, but he craves a human touch. He comes across a dead man and woman in a car and decides to have sex with the woman's body. He keeps her in his shack, but when the shack burns and he loses her, he must start killing young lovers to keep up his new hobby.
Is It Any Good?
This is one of those cases in which "good" doesn't really apply. Director James Franco has by all accounts presented a faithful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, and its powerful themes come through clearly. Namely: It's possible to stray a long way into isolation, depravation, and outright evil, but we're all "children of God." On top of that, Haze has given a journeyman's performance in the lead role, howling and raging, and seemingly enduring superhuman loads of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual anguish.
Yet the physical experience of watching this no-frills movie is difficult, dealing as it does with necrophilia on top of images of human filth, cold-blooded murder, and unbridled hatred and cruelty. To pan the movie based on discomfort would be wrong, but to recommend it to casual viewers, especially those who like other McCarthy adaptations (No Country for Old Men, The Road, etc.) would also be wrong. It's here if you're ready for it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Child of God's overall violence. Does it feel more intense than in other movies? How did the filmmakers accomplish this feeling?
What part of the film was the most disturbing to you? Do you think that was intentional? Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to?
What do you think of the movie's theme, that the main character is a "child of God much like yourself perhaps." How are we like the main character? How could this character's fate have been changed?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 1, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : October 28, 2014
- Cast : Tim Blake Nelson , Scott Haze , Jim Parrack
- Director : James Franco
- Studio : Well Go USA
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : disturbing aberrant sexual content, nudity, language and some violence
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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