Parents' Guide to Condition of Return

This thriller is, on its surface, intriguing. But for people who suffer from a specific form of OCD known as scrupulosity, Condition of Return could be very difficult to watch. For the uninitiated, scrupulosity involves obsessions about religious themes -- and shame. People with scrupulosity often feel like they're sinners who can't be redeemed, or as if they've unknowingly prayed to the devil and are being punished. Understanding this provides greater insight into some of the issues that Eve faces in the film. Certain scenes -- including one of Eve searching online for how to suffer the devil and scenes regarding coincidences having meaning in Eve's mind -- could trigger people with scrupulosity. And the movie's reveal of the devil and God being people in Eve's life could unsettle scrupulous viewers by leading them into further obsession about whether God or the devil could ever appear to them in a human form. Even more problematic, the film equates scrupulosity with someone's likelihood to commit a crime. Research has shown that people with mental illness are actually at far greater risk of self-harm than harming others, and the stereotype of mental illness being a factor in violence can add more shame and stigma to conditions that are already hard to deal with.

For those who don't suffer from scrupulosity or OCD of any kind, Condition of Return might be an interesting way to spend an hour and a half of your time. It doesn't necessarily break any new ground in the psychological thriller genre, but its reveals are compelling enough that it will keep you thinking about it after the film is over. McCord and Cain are convincing in their roles, with McCord throwing a lot of herself into finding the core of her tortured character. Overall, if religion isn't a sensitive area for you, Condition of Return could be fun. But if you identify as scrupulous (or even recovered scrupulous), make your own judgement call on whether you should watch it.