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Parents' Guide to

Colonia

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Brutal, sadistic cult drama has lots of violence, language.

Movie R 2016 110 minutes
Colonia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 4 parent reviews

baelien22
baelien22 Adult
March 10, 2020
age 16+

Undervalued & Important

This movie was not nearly as extreme as I expected. After reading the true stories of The Colony I didn’t know what I was going to see but they made a PG movie out of an X true story. There is shaming of women, abuse of men & women, derogatory comments and some torture & violence. BUT never crosses the line. This was a REAL place, where a nazi doctor did REAL experiments. They gave a great depiction of the true story while shielding your eyes from the worst parts. I would NOT recommend for children because it is very dark BUT I think all adults should see this movie and read these stories. It’s the parts of history we don’t want to see that we should always remember so they NEVER happen again! And don’t worry it ends well.

This title has:

Great messages
Snek
Snek Adult
June 8, 2019
age 16+

Reviews initially put me off-an interesting watch

This movie has many contrasting reviews. In terms of historical accuracy, it is known that the 2 main protagonists did not exist in real life but the colony was a real place. It brought light to a theme that is hard to handle. Daniel Brühl and Emma Watson are good actors and there were some moments when I was on the edge of my seat. It is one to watch if you have an interest in Nazi Germany or the Chilean dictatorship. Some reviews says that it glorifies cult life but I feel it does quite the opposite. There is a lot of violence and sex and some moments where things are implied which are so uncomfortable. You can't help but root for the protagonists. I dont think I will rewatch it but it certainly was a lot better researched and portrayed than it was given credit for. I have recommended 16+ but it depends on the maturity of the child whether you would wait longer but never less as it is good for an Alevel-level history student.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

It's 1973, and Lena (Emma Watson), an English airline attendant, has a stopover in Chile, where she's hoping to spend time with the man she loves, Daniel (Daniel Bruhl), a German artist who's lending his talent to progressive Chilean leader Salvador Allende's allies in the politically chaotic climate. After two days of bliss, Lena and Daniel are caught up in the chaos when the Allende government is violently overthrown. Augusto Pinochet's military coup overtakes the city, killing some of the Allende supporters and arresting others. Daniel is taken; he disappears. Lena refuses to leave the city, setting out to find him amid the horrors on the streets. She learns that Daniel has been taken to Colonia Dignidad ("The Colony of Dignity"), a religious encampment commanded by Paul Schaefer (Michael Nyqvist), a sadistic torturer and sexual predator. Lena makes her way to Colonia and, pretending to be in search of God, willingly joins the cult. She finds that Daniel is there, but he's been tortured almost beyond recognition -- and, to save himself, he has adopted the demeanor of a severely mentally handicapped man. What follows is a dangerous game, played out against a series of catastrophically diabolical events as Lena attempts to find Daniel and escape with him. (Note: The infamous Colonia Dignidad did exist, and the real-life Schaefer was later caught and imprisoned.)

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Any intention the filmmakers might have had to make modern audiences aware of a particularly barbaric South American regime and its excesses are lost in this story of atrocity and madness. It must have been tempting for Harry Potter franchise co-star Watson to want to carry a movie on her own, and she does so as well as she can.

But the movie's exploitative nature, with its emphasis on brutality and graphic scenes of torture and torment -- as well as sloppy plotting in which so much depends upon lucky circumstance and coincidence -- doesn't help the cause. Nor does Nyqvist's over-the-top performance as the embodiment of evil. Watson may be terrific in her role, but her shift to plot-driving leading lady will have to wait for something better (as will the movie's admittedly important subject matter).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what "based on a true story" means. Which parts of this story are true, and which are made up? Why might filmmakers change the facts of what happened? Is it important to you to know what is true and what isn't?

  • Why do the villains rely on torture? Does it get them what they want? How does the impact of this kind of violence compare to what you might see in an action movie?

  • What reasons does Colonia give for the obedience and consent of the cult's captive members? On a smaller scale, can you see similarities to bullies and those who go along with them? What risks are involved in standing up to those who do wrong?

Movie Details

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